Monday, November 29, 2010

Books in November, 2010

This month I: took the SAT again, got really sick, went to the movies a million times, wrote a 35,000 word story, and read 16 books (totaling to 136 so far this year). That's why I didn't really blog a lot.


121. The Road from Home, David Kherdian
Considering how much I love history, I know very little about the time and place this book was set it. It was really eye-opening.


122. At Home in Thrush Green, Miss Read
There is something irresistible about charming country living in England.


123. The Abolition of Man, CS Lewis
This was a really thought-provoking collection of essays. Honestly though, I disagreed with him on a lot of things. His education theory was good, but I don't think he really 'got' kids.


124. The Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
Spooky and awesome. I am such a sucker for books that take place on boats or have to do with whaling or colonialism or explorations.


125. Wharton: Collected Stories 1891-1910, Edith Wharton
She is just the most perfect author ever. Every time I read her I can't believe how amazing she is. It was a really awesome collection, full of fascinating characters, which is is what she does best.


126. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon
I can't believe I've never read this book before. It was absolutely magnificent. It was carefully plotted; obviously Haddon spent a lot of time working out the way the plot would unfold. Also, it made me cry. First book this year!


127. Leisure: The Basis of Culture, Josef Pieper
A fascinating little lecture, defending leisure. My sister had to read it for her Philosophy class, and I stole it for a while.


128. Cart and Cwidder, Diana Wynne Jones
How can Diana come up with so many completely unique universes? This book was epic, and beautifully written and plotted. Her vision always shines through and her characters are always hysterical.


129. The Philosophical Act, Josef Pieper
Another little lecture. Really, they were incredibly short, but incredibly impactful. Read them- it will only take an hour or so, but it will give you a lot to think about.


130. Hidden Rainbow, Christmas Carol Kauffman
I've never been so proud to be a Baptist! (No offense to all my pedobaptist friends out there) It's a story about a family in
Yugoslavia who owns a copy of the Bible, and how their religious views change, and how they are persecuted for it.


131. The Neumiller Stories, Larry Woiwode
This was an amazing collection of stories, all about the same family. They weren't told in chronological order so it was a lot of fun piecing them together. They were so beautiful.


132. 97 Orchard, Jane Ziegelman
After six months on the hold list, I finally got this book! It was a book on the culinary history of the Lower East Side, covering a German, Irish, Jewish, Russian and Italian family, spanning from 1860 to the mid 20th century.


133. My Hands Came Away Red, Lisa McKay
This was an very inspiring book. I'm a fan of good, modern, religious fiction. (Except I didn't like Kyle. He was kind of jerky. Her romance with Jeff was much more developed and mature... I thought the love triangle bogged the book down.)


134. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Alexander Solzhenitsyn
I seriously enjoyed this book. I'm usually not fond of books full of misery and war, but this was really excellent. I am always kinda proud of myself when I genuinely enjoy classics. Haha.


135. Dear Emma, Johanna Hurwitz
I'm surprised I never read this before. I thought I'd read every piece of historical fiction about Jews in New York for children ever written, but I obviously missed this one.


136. The Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
WHAT DO I LOVE BETTER THAN EMO WIZARD TEENS? NOTHING. There is nothing I love better than emo wizard teens. If LotR had had an emo wizard teen, I'd probably have liked it.

Okay then.

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