Julie's Last Book's of 2011 : )

[julie]

I guess I should attempt to be a little more organized book-wise as lots of you are,by keeping a list of sorts.

 

This will just be the last few books of 2011.

 

Books Read

 

1-The Old West No author listed for this one.It was an oversized book, I think put out by the USPS to commemorate the Western Stamps they had printed.

Very short read,as it was lots of photos of actual items that some popular "cowboys" had owned.

I'd rate it a 3, mainly for the photos,since I like looking at antique items like that .

 

2-The Kennedy Wit Edited by Bill Adler, it was a very slim book, mainly small out-takes of one-liners or parts of speeches Kenndy had made ,also with several photos .

It gets a 2, only because there really wasn't a lot in it to help me to know Kennedy's personal side any better .

 

3. Don't Look Behind You -Ann Rule

This is Rule's latest true crime files book (No.15) ,and is as good as all the others .she usually writes these with several cases in one book . This one had 2 lenthy stories about cold cases that have now been solved . The last one happened in the early 1960's .With DNA the fingerprint database, computer files on people who have committed crimes,and many other tools, it seems it would be much harder to get away with a crime in today's world . It's good to know they can even go back and solve many cold cases if they have the manpower to work on them.

The last couple stories in the book were much shorter and pertained to rapists ,and gave a good section on how to keep yourself as safe as possible and what to do if you are a potential victim of a rapist .

Very interesting book .

 

4-The Sisters Brothers

Where to start with this one ? A very different type of book . It is told by one of the Sisters Brothers,Sisters being the last name of 2 brothers who are hired guns in the old west . Their boss is a man they call the Commodore .He is really the linchpin of the entire story, although he plays a very small part in the tale . He is the one who hires these 2, to go around and dispose of people he has on his list . They aren't given a lot of information about WHY the person needs killed .They don't ask many questions regarding it, they just do the Commodore's bidding .

In the beginning, it sounds a little like they are a bumbling duo .The book isn't funny,but the main brother telling the tale does have a way with words and descriptions of people . He sounds as if he is the less evil of the 2 ,but he does admit to having a bad temper that isn't well controlled at times .

This book tells of their newest job and all the obstacles they encounter along the way . At the end of the story, it all comes together in an extremely unusual way that you really didn't see coming .

I highly enjoyed this book ,mainly because of its' difference than anything else I have read . I must have an odd sense of humor,but found the last few chapters strangely amusing,although it became very gruesome by this point in the book . I think I knew all along that it probably wouldn't have a fairy tale ending .

I'd highly recommend this one ,especially if you are in the Readng Doldrums .It will shake things up a bit . I don't think I'd want to read 2 right in a row by this author ,but would certainly read another down the road.

 

5-Tales Behind the Tombstones

Have had this on my Kindle for a long time. Decided to read it next since I was in the Cowboy mood from the Sisters Brothers.

This is a nonfiction book,which tells small stories about many famous people who helped to settle the West, or were famous for their exploits in life,either good or bad. There are some famous lawmen, criminals, and even several ladies who were famous for being stagecoach drivers, travelers across the West by wagon train ,or even guides for groups of new settlers coming west .

After telling a short story about why they made it into history for their achievements, they tell how they died and show a photo of where they are buried .

It was a very interesting book, especially if you enjoy learning about the Old West .

 

6- Slumdog Millionaire

I liked the way this book was written . Almost like a group of short stories .The main framework of the book is a young boy who wants to try winning a game show, something along the lines of Who Wants to be a Millonaire like was on here for a long while .

He gets each answer to the questions ,as the story goes, by telling a small piece of his life, which also has the answer to the question in the show .

It was interesting in the beginning but seemed to drag during the last third of the book. It seemed almost a little unbelieveable that one person would have that many totally unbelieveable things happen in such a short lifetime.

Anyhow, it was a fairly good book. I'd give it about a 3 out of 5 .

 

7-Coroner's Journal -- Cataldie

I thought this book was very interesting ,although so sad in spots and not for the people with sloshy stomachs . It tells a lot of short stories about different cases a coroner down in Louisiana has been attending to . Some of them are strange endings ,wondering what may have been going on to cause a person's death. The saddest chapter was the one in which small kids passed away . It makes you wonder how this guy is able to see all these terrible deaths and remain sane and able to continue on . It'd be really difficult .He sounds like he is a wonderful man and very caring and respectful of every body he attends to, no matter how they perished .

This book gets a 4 /5 .

 

And this will wrap up my 2011 books. I got a very late start recording them,so it looks like a pathetic list,but 2012 is right around the corner ,with more books laying here than our library downtown has .

Edited December 30, 2011 by julie

[julie]

Yesterday I bought :

 

Two Lives - Seth

The Happiness Project - Rubin

All Summer Long - Greene

The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love -Hijuelos

American Wife - Sittenfeld

 

 

Today I bought :

 

Whistling in the Dark -- Kagen

Exquisite Corpse --Brite

Rebel --Cornwell

Atticus--Hansen

 

Thursday's purchases:

 

A Short History of Nearly Everything -Bryson

(have this on kindle,but found a paper copy of it )

True Ghost Stories -Marchioness ...something or other ...

Weird U.S. -Moran

Close to Shore -Capuzzo

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close -Foer

Coming of Age in Mississippi -Moody

Edited December 16, 2011 by julie

[julie]

Total books on my TBR pile as of today --

 

390

 

Total Kindle Books

 

244

 

 

Good grief, what was I thinking ? I have 640 books to read .

I will have to live to be 100 to get that many books read.

 

And I'd be willing to bet I'll drag home another armload before the week is over .

Edited December 14, 2011 by julie

[vodkafan]

Breaking News

 

You are reading those really quick Julie.

[julie]

Hi VF

Both the ones listed were very short,so it only took a couple hours to polish them off. I am having a serious BOOK OVERLOAD .Every shelf is jammed ,yet I keep hauling more books home,so I thought I'd chip away at some of the "Quickie" books first, to eliminate the number, if not the size.

I have more that would fit into this category,so will try to polish off some of them this week.

Maybe an end-of-year tidying up ?

[julie]

Chrissy -

Thank you kindly for changing my title for me !

Edited December 13, 2011 by julie

[vodkafan]

I see you are reading God Of Small Things. I did a review of that somewhere. How are you finding it? It was hard to get into at first for me but ultimately very worth it.

[julie]

Hi VF

Yes, that is one of the 2THREE I am juggling,and I agree about being hard to get into . I like the writing,but it's confusing when the author uses several Indian words that I'm not sure of. I also started it on the weekend while my grandson was here,so it was a little hard to pay attention to it .

He is 9,so doesn't need continual monitoring .He is also getting to the age where he likes his own space somewhat ,but he tends to be as much of a YAKKER as I am . Between the 2 of us, there's not very many silent moments . Everyone wonders how we communicate so well when we are both talking nonstop, but we manage to talk, plus answer the other person and continue to talk .

I am up to pg. 56 so far in that book.

I also found the new Ann Rule true crime book that I have been waiting for,so of course, I couldn't resist starting it .

THEN, I found out that I could get The Sisters Brothers on my Kindle for free from our library,so I have it sitting there waiting on me. I started it this morning also .

So currently ,I'm in India, riding with a couple of cowpokes looking for trouble, and trying to find out WhoDunnit in my true crime book .

What an odd assortment !

 

So ,Currently Reading :

The God of Small Things

Don't Look Behind You

The Sisters Brothers

[pontalba]

I really enjoyed The Sisters Brothers, it was so laid back in a way, and yet not. Does that make any sense?

Don't Look Behind You looks interesting, scary, but interesting!

[julie]

Hi Pontalba

Yes, I just started Sisters Brothers this morning. I went over to a little diner for some breakfast,so I took my Kindle with me and started it while there. I really like the way they are telling the story . I love western type stories anyhow,and this one seems a little unusual in the writing style. It's almost like an old cowboy is telling you the story. He kinda uses a sparse number of words, but he gets his point across .It's very cute .

 

I've read all of Ann Rule's.This is another of her true crime files types(#15),so they are usually several stories in one book,usually a long one ,then some shorter stories . I have always liked true crime books. I like learning about WHY people do the things they do, and how they get caught . It's odd that I like true crime, but really don't have much interest in horror or made-up scarey books.

Edited December 13, 2011 by julie

[pontalba]

I definitely see your point about finding out what makes people tick, do what they do. You must be a 'people-watcher' too.

[julie]

Pontalba

Yes, I tell the Hubster that I like to STUDY people . It's really interesting to see what makes people tick,what ticks them off, how they dress, talk, everything.

I could just be plain old NOSEY .

Might have something to do with living in this same boring town for 53 years . Gotta have something to do for entertainment.

[julie]

Just an update on my current reads.

 

The Don't Look Behind You " by Ann Rule is divided into sections,each telling a new story about a crime .

 

In order to remember each part clearly, I'll just post a short review of part 1,which was 202 pgs.

This part was called North to Alaska, and told of a cold case murder that had happened 30 years previously. A policeman decided to reinvestigate the case,with all the new DNA tools,etc . He solved the case and the murderer(s) were brought to justice.

Can't give much more away than that .

This was a case I hadn't heard of before,so it was interesting . It makes me wonder how someone could murder another person,then go ahead and live their lives for 30 years without it ever bothering them enough to tell someone or turn themselves in . I cannot imagine how a person could possibly do that .

 

More to follow as I complete more of the stories .

Edited December 13, 2011 by julie

[julie]

Today I think I'll go back to The Sisters Brothers ,mainly because it's a library loan on my Kindle,so it needs to be done in a time frame . It also seems like it will be a quick read . The writing style is easy to follow,so that will save the last one ( God of Small Things) for a time when it is all I'm reading and I can concentrate on it more .

[julie]

Next on the docket is :

 

Tales Behind the Tombstones (Kindle book)

 

Need a little bit of a break before tackling something that needs more brainpower .

Edited December 18, 2011 by julie

[julie]

 

Today I bought :

 

God on the Rocks --Gardam

My People's Waltz --Phillips

Shadow Divers --Kurson

All the Pretty Horses -McCarthy

The Hearts of Horses --Gloss

 

Today I started :

 

Slumdog Millionaire --should be a fast read ... trying to squeeze in as many last minute books as possible. My 2011 list will soon be outdated .

[julie]

Finished Slumdog Millionaire today --short review on post 1 .

 

Now starting One for the Road --Tony Horwitz . --travel book . (In the mood for a little something different .)

[frankie]

Today I bought :

 

Exquisite Corpse --Brite

 

Have you read any Brite novels before? I read Lost Souls last year, and it was one of the most disturbing books I've ever read. But then again, I enjoy the macabre every now and then, I think you and I both do and we've established that I also have Drawing Blood on my TBR and I'd love to buy more of his books.

 

I'm very much looking forward to your thoughts on EC!

Edited December 24, 2011 by frankie

[julie]

_{Hi there Frankie}

_{No, I wasn't familiar with the author at all, so don't really know what to expect. I will give it a shot after the one I'm reading now, which isn't super thick,so should be ready to wrap it up within the next day or so .}

_{I'll start the Brite book next so I can tell you how I liked it .}

_{Thanks for the response}

[julie]

Update to last post --

 

I am throwing in the towel on the One for the Road ,halfway through . So it won't count for my list .I know this guy can write well, but this travel book just ran on and on like a broken record,repeating the same song.

It was supposed to be a travel narrative of a guy who travels from one end of Australia to th other ,which sounds interesting . I love reading travel books,but what makes them interesting to me is not only the scenery,but the people they meet along the way .

This book consists of a guy hitch-hiking ,being picked up,dropped off at the first bar,which is usually 100 plus miles of the same scenery as the day before, and him describing how hot it was, and how many drinks he had in the car,then in the bar.

Read. Repeat . Read. Repeat .

No offense towards Australia. I'm sure it is beautiful .No offense if people like to drink . Fine with me. It's just hard to keep interested in a story that says the same thing for 200 pages straight.

I have books stacked to the ceiling,so no messing around with ones that are boring .

 

 

Next --

Was GOING to be Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Brite . Sorry,folks, it aint happening . Got to page 3,and thought NO WAY .

Way too graphic for my tastes . Sorry Frankie -- it's a little odd. I can read True Crime books continually, but to read a novel that has this much graphic material is just too much . So this one gets tossed too . Gotta go look for something else .

Edited December 24, 2011 by julie

[frankie]

Aww too bad you couldn't enjoy the book. And don't worry, no one in their right mind would think you are now hating on Australia. It's only a book!

 

Don't worry on my account at all. I knew Brite can be really truly graphic and disgusting and I don't blame you for not wanting to read the book. Toss away! And may your next reading endeavour be more pleasurable

[pontalba]

Julie, somewhere you mentioned Coroner's Journal by Louis Cataldie, MD, I found it, and am about half way through. I love his style, and so far the book. Especially the first bit that was written right after Hurricane Katrina. Wow. Hard hitting stuff.

So, anyhow, thanks for the rec.

[julie]

And may your next reading endeavour be more pleasurable

 

Thanks Frankie ~~

 

Julie, somewhere you mentioned Coroner's Journal by Louis Cataldie, MD, I found it, and am about half way through. I love his style, and so far the book. Especially the first bit that was written right after Hurricane Katrina. Wow. Hard hitting stuff.

So, anyhow, thanks for the rec.

 

Hi Pontalba

I'm glad you like the book . I haven't started it yet ,but have read a few others by coroners and it can be interesting to see how they decide causes of death on people, the tests they run,etc .

I'll have to dig mine out here and give it a shot soon .