Books Read - Fall 2009

1. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
2. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
3. The Guinea Pig Diaries by A. J. Jacobs
4. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
5. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a A Bar by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein
6. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
7. Essays in Love by Alain de Botton
8. I Am America (And So Can You) by Stephen Colbert
9. The 100 Simple Secrets of Great Relationships by David Niven
10. My Best Stories by Alice Munro
11. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence*


Notes:

- The Host was, in keeping with Stephenie Meyer's other works (the Twilight Series), a fascinating and quick read. In fact, I read it so fast that at points I found myself just skimming, so eager to find out what would happen that I think I missed some things. Maybe that's why I didn't always see the necessity behind certain decisions the characters felt they had to make (but I suspect these were actually stretches in the story). It looks like this could be the beginning of another series, and if it is I will read it. In the meantime, I lent this one to my Mom after I read it.

- The Elegance of the Hedgehog was so, so good. Translated from French, it is a story about a couple of people (a young girl, a concierge) who hide their true selves from the world. It is an intelligent book, with abundant ruminations on philosophy and art. It would be best read in a state of peaceful alertness (which is unfortunately not the mood in which I began the book). This book has placed itself in the category of books I'd highly recommend.

- My Sister's Keeper was highly recommended to me by a friend and by the movie previews. It reminded me of another book I read though - Dana's Valley by Janette Oke. Both books are about a girl who has leukemia, a close sister, a misbehaving older brother, a family fighting through the stress of her illness. This book explored different aspects within that setting than the other one did, but the story didn't seem original to me. Also, I found myself reading the voice and characteristics of Paloma from The Elegance of the Hedgehog into Anna. The main questions of this book really made me think though. And I didn't expect the twist at the very end.

- We Need to Talk About Kevin was really really fascinating: the story of a school shooter, narrated by his mother in a series of letters reflecting back through his entire life (and hers). It's a story of parenthood gone wrong, personhood gone wrong. It inspires questions of nature vs. nurture and the inflexibility of those categories.

- I Am America (And So Can You)... Aah, Sarcasm Colbert. I wonder what he's like in real life, beneath the mocking public exterior. I wonder what he really thinks.

- So I've discovered that I have a hard time appreciating short stories. They can too often be too scattered, bringing in too many characters and leaving too many questions. After I articulated this, however, I was able to get past it and enjoy Alice Munro's Best Stories. It still made me miss English class, though, where in community you take the time to dissect and discuss stories, to search for what isn't seen at first glance. I have a hard time doing that on my own.