everydayxangels

Last year I read: 74% Fiction 19% Memoir/NF 9% YA / Kids Last year I read some pretty darn good stuff. I think this year, I will be getting into more regular non-fiction versus the memoirs, but fiction holds my attention that normally NF can't.

I had been reading some enlightening non-fiction, and then I picked up the Red Tent. I need some more really brilliant fiction. Not just mediocre, but mind blowing and a head rush. Here's some stuff I thought was of that degree: The Hours by Michael Cunningham The Red Tent by Anita Diament A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Run by Ann Patchett Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See And here's some other books I thought were fabulous, but not quite the brilliance of the above novels: Astrid & Veronika by Linda Olsson People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks Away by Amy Bloom Loving Frank by Nancy Horan Are there any other novels that you all think are par with the above ones?

I finished People of the Book the new one by the great Geraldine Brooks. She did something really great with this book. She took the topic of ancient scriptures and manuscripts and weaved in the history with the restoration artist. I thought it was wonderful. A must read for anyone who liked anything by Geraldine. I am now reading The Red Tent, and naturally, I am loving it. I am not sure why exactly I am adoring it as I am, but I think it is spectacular. I think it's the folklore and a more novelized account of the old testament.

I finished Atonement, and I thought the first half was enjoyable, the second half was a snoozer. I found myself just not caring, but I've never really cared for war stories. I think to see the movie will be enjoyable. I have just started People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, and I am 75 pages in. It is a spectacular novel. She's writing about restoration, something I thought that would not interest me in the slightest, was fascinating. It's about a prayer book that has always been rescued from war. There was always someone to save this unusual volume.

I keep my already read books on a shelf in my family room. I then keep my books that I have yet to read on two shelves in my closet in my room. I think I have more books to read than I have read.

paused Atonement for a feminazi book called Woman's Inhumanity to Woman. And then I paused that to read Ani DiFranco's compilation of artwork, lyrics and poetry called Verses. Didn't take me more than an hour, but I'm going to count it anyway. I love that woman to pieces. I read it, and I think how could anyone create something so politcal and beautiful at the same time. It's a lovely lovely piece of work.

I loved Mister Pip. I thought the poetic style of it was just so beautiful. And I think that anyone can enjoy it whether or not they have read the book that was revolved around (drawing a blank) because I did and I've never read it. The Island life, the civil war and the way these people were effected by something that was so irrelevent to them was just such a head rush

The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd I adored this book. My tastes have changed since I've read it, but this one is such an iconic book on my shelf. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini I don't know if you've read Thousand Splendid Suns yet, but I thought that one was better. Kite Runner was incredible, of course, not to take that away from how great of a book it was. This one was incredible though

I Finished My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger and have moved on to Atonement by Ian McEwan. I am finding it to have lovely writing and I knew it would be literary and slow, but I didn't know it was going to be this boring. I won't give it up because I have heard such wonderful things, but can someone remind me just one more time?

I loved Before I Die! I read the back and thought it would be like the novels of Lurlene McDaniel. But iit surprised me how great of a book it was. One of my favorite YA novels. I'm so glad you enjoyed it too.

How did you like Scandal of the Season? It was one of my 2007 books, and I thought it was enjoyable - nothing incredible. Everyone kept telling me historical fiction was incredible, and this one was the first one I've read and I don't think it gave me any reason to try another.

Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks Non-Fiction Theme: Islamic Culture - Eastern Anthropology - Women Issues The book opens up with a reporter, Geraldine Brooks, attempting to stay alone at a hotel in Saudi Arabia. The receptionist notices at check-in that she is not Mr. Brooks, but in fact Mrs. Brooks; so she is denied a room with a comment that only 'ladies of the night' in Saudi Arabia travel alone. Exhausted, Brooks, with no other option, decides that she will spend her night on a sofa in the hotel

I have just started My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger and I am loving it. I think I needed a break from all the depressing things I've been reading lately; the book about Islamic women, the Bell Jar, etc. Gah! and it's good! It's witty and intelligent. It tells the story of 2 brothers (not-related) who have been through everything together, one helped the other when his mother died, now that one is helping the other come out of the closet. And my favorite character, Alejandra Perez, a former Mexican Ambassador's daughter, is the witty intellegent part. The author uses her character to inject the story with factual history. (she mentions the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, Japanese Internment Camps within the firs 50 pages).

I finished Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks. It's about women in Islamic states and the it definitely has a liberal/feminist slant the gist of it was that Islam was once a very liberating and accepting faith, but The Koran's words have gotten skewed and diluted to fit what extremists want them to. I found it to be educating and fascinating. I'll be posting a review shortly.

Is there a good book of compilation of essays similar to The Best American Essays of 2007? Other non fiction books I loved: This I Believe edited by Jay Allison Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks so not necessarily essays, but good non fiction that isn't memoirs/biographies.

15. Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson 14. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls 13. Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson 12. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 11. Run by Ann Patchett 10. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan 9. The Best American Essays of 2007 edited by Wallace 8. Away by Amy Bloom 7. Crashing Through by Robert Kurson 6. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 5. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 4. The Hours by Michael Cunningham 3. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 2. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard 1. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Advanced Readers Copy I work in a bookstore and publishing houses will send books that they are planning on releasing months later. It's not just for unknown authors, we'll get some Picoult, Joyce Carol Oates, etc. but more so than not, it's unknown authors.

To Be Read Purple - Bought Blue - ARC Bold Black - read Starting Count:56 Adele - Mary Flanagan American Purgatorio - John Haskell Anthem by Ayn Rand 'person of dubious parentage' out of Carolina - Dorothy Allison Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears - Mingestu Best American Essays of the Century Bittersweet - Nevada Barr Blink - Malcom Gladwell The Blue Place - Nicola Griffith Chamber Music - Doris Grumbach The Chelsea Whistle - Michelle Tea City of Night - John Rechy Closer - Dennis Cooper Complete Claudine - Colette Cry of the Dove - Fadia Faqir **** by Inga Muscio The Descendants - Kaui Hart Hemmings Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje English Patient by Michael Ondaatje Enchantress of Florence - Rushdie Evening by Susan Minot Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury The Girl From The Coast -Toer The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins Half of a Yellow Sun - Adichie The Hakawati - Rabin Alameddine The Hero's Walk - Anita Rau Badami Hotel Dulac by Anita Brokner House by the Sea - May Sarton House of Glass - Toer House of Rain - Craig Childs House on Fortune Street - Margot Livesey The Hungry Tide - Amitav Ghosh I am a Strange Loop - Douglas Hofstadter If Today Be Sweet by Umbringer I Never Promised You A Rose Garden by Greenberg Kabul Beauty School by Debora Rodriguez The Known World by Edward Jones Last Child in the Woods by Louv Love Rules - Marilyn Reynolds Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli Madapple by Christina Meldrum March by Geraldine Brooks The Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard A Mind Apart by Suzanne Antonetta Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich Outspoken - Michael Thomas Ford The Philospher's Apprentice Pope Joan - Donna Cross Razor's Edge by Maugham Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi Same Sex and the City - Levin & Blitzer The Sea by John Banville A Seahorse Year - Stacey D'Erasmo She's Not There - Boylan The Sorcerer King b Frewin Jones Stone Garden by Molly Moynahan Stonewall - Carter Teaching Community - Bell Hooks This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Walters Vagina Monologues - Eve Ensler Year of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks

Before I Die by Jenny Downham I read that one a few months ago. my store recieved an ARC for it, and I read the back and I thought it was going to be a Lurlene McDaniel YA book about saying goodbye and all morbid but sappy. But it was really great! Really fast, and I'm a moderately fast reader. It's an honest book, nothing G Rated to appease the parents; the girl doesn't want to die a virgin. I'm sure you already know what it's about so I don't need to tell you, but I enjoyed it! Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson I looove Joshilyn. She has a new one coming out in March, and I read the ARC and thought it was so-so. But Gods in Alabama was good; though I would recommend Between, Georgia more. Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard I also read this one last year, and I think it's actually one of her best ones, not that I've read them all. I don't remember why I liked it so much, but I did!

:readingtwo:LIST:readingtwo: Blue - ARC Purple - Bought Gray - Library Currently Reading: Half in Love July 22. Half in Love - Maile Meloy 21. My Stroke of Insight - Jill Bolt Taylor 20. All That is Gone - Pramoedya Ananta Toer June 19. 'person of dubious parentage' of Istanbul - Elif Shafak18. Madapple - Christina Meldrum 17. Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri 16. How To Breathe Underwater - Julie Orringer May 15. The Vagina Monologues - Eve Ensler 14. The Ginseng Hunter - Jeff Talarigo April 13. Am I Blue? - ed. by Marion Dane Bauer 12. One Thousand White Women - Jim Fergus 11. Gardens of Water - Alan Drew 10. In Times of Siege- Githa Hariharan March 9. Red Azalea - Anchee Min 8. Palace of Illusions by Divakaruni February 7. Fifty Days of Solitude by Doris Gumbrach 6. The Red Tent by Anita Diament 5. The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks January 4. Atonement by Ian McEwan 3. Verses by Ani DiFranco 2. My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger 1. Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks

I just finished Peony in Love (ARC: being released June 26th in the US) by Lisa See, and honestly, I think this one is better than Snow Flower. There is more reason to love it than Snow Flower. There's little mention of foot binding, a pleasant relationship between Peony (the daughter) and the father, and still just as much (if not more) heartache and beauty than Snow Flower. Five Stars.

I haven't read Kite Runner (I know, I know, I just have to), but the people who have read Kite Runner, said Splendid Suns was BETTER. I think what makes Khaled such a great writer is that he makes his books plot and character driven, and in 350 pages.

I just finished this book on Thursday, and this book is utterly astounding. It will bring you up, and bring you back down all in one page. I haven't read many books where an author is able to do that with the readers hopes for the characters. I know that it just came out this past Tuesday (5.22), but I was wondering if anyone has been able to read it yet. I have a desperate need to discuss it with someone else. I know for sure that it will make a wonderful book discussion book.

I just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (it was an ARC). Same author as The Kite Runner. And seriously. Splendid Suns is better than Kite Runner. Honestly, this book is seriously amazing. It's coming out this Tuesday (5.22), don't forget!

I tend to use the library for books that are only available in hardcover ( I can't afford hardovers! ) and books that I am just not sure I would like. and the paperbacks I buy from the independent bookstore that I work at.