I’ve been meaning for weeks to tell you what I read in July…

July 2012

#26: Breaking Away by Anna Gavalda, translated by Alison Anderson - I was in Paris at the beginning of July and went to Shakespeare & Co. twice. The first time, I was completely overwhelmed and left with nothing. Knowing I wouldn’t forgive myself for not buying a French book, I picked this one up the second time I went. It is a small but fulfilling novella that was perfect for sidewalk cafe reading. There is also something great about being on vacation and really feeling like you’re breaking away from all the things you think you know.

#27: Any Human Heart by William Boyd - I knew Breaking Away wouldn’t last me very long so not knowing what else to pick out I did my usual game of asking the shopkeeper about the last good book they read. They guy at Shakespeare and Co. said this was it for him so I took his word for it. I started it in Paris then took it on to Prague and Amsterdam. It was perfect for that kind of travel because it follows a man throughout his life journeys and I felt like I was going with him. At some points I thought the book was a tad pretentious but never did it fail to keep me interested. I think I’ll always associate the book with my trip and reading along various European bodies of water.

#28: Persuasion by Jane Austen - I found this version of the book in Amsterdam and thought it was too pretty to pass up. I hadn’t read it before but I have to agree with my friend Stephanie here in that the book is just so silly. Everything about it! Why are all the characters sort of stuck up? Why don’t they just say what they mean? Why are there so many knowing glances? I don’t know, but I still liked it.

#29: People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry - True crime fiction is such a weird genre to say you like, but I really do like it and this one is particularly great. It’s about the disappearance of a young British woman in Tokyo and the events that followed. The author takes in every detail of the multiple people involved to where I didn’t feel left uninformed. This was a 2 day read for me (that interesting!) but I’m pretty sure I looked strange reading about a psychopath on the beach.

#30: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed - Just read it already. Everyone just buy it and give it to people you care about. I bought it for my sister, now you do the same. It’s one thing to read Dear Sugar online but it’s another to have the columns in your fingertips with frayed edges and underlined paragraphs. Just read it already.

May 2012:

23. Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton - As I’m writing this, I have to remember what it was about. I guess that’s not a good sign? But going back, I think there was a fire and maybe a mom who had an out of body experience? It was weird but I think it was ok.

24. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin - Took me FOREVER but I get it now! I do! To quote Ben Wyatt from Parks and Rec, “It’s a crossover hit. It’s not just for fantasy enthusiasts, they’re telling human stories in a fantasy world.” I don’t know if I’ll read the other books, but I’m almost finished with the season 1 of the show. Another thing I love is how random people on the train would comment on it and ask how the book was going. The only other book that’s caused a similar reaction from strangers was Lonesome Dove. 

April 2012

18. Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman - For work book club. The autobiography is about a woman who grows up in, then leaves, the hasidic jewish community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I had so many thoughts and opinions about the book that it’s probably best to say them in the book club forum. If you’re looking for a book to start a conversation, Unorthodox is a great one. OH! Almost forgot! I read Unorthodox via a friend’s ipad. So weird…

19. Wild by Cheryl Strayed - Are you a human being? Are you a human being with thoughts and/or feelings? Yeah well, you should probably read Dear Sugar. Then you should probably read Wild because Chery Strayed is hero status all over the place. Wild is about her journey hiking the Pacific Coast Trail and even though I have no interest in doing that whatsoever, she still made me believe that I can do whatever the hell I want in life. So that’s pretty great.

20. A Moveable Feast by Earnest Hemingway - This month I put the finishing touches on a trip to Paris this summer! So you know, obviously this had to happen. My friends may not be Scott Fitzgerald or Gertrude Stein (because they’re dead, otherwise I know we’d be tight) but I know they will be spectacular company in the city of light. Seriously can’t wait!

21. The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett - Ann Patchett writes some of the best “now you’re hooked” books. If you need something for a short trip or plane ride, she’s your girl. The Magician’s Assistant definitely fit the profile because it had magic, family secrets, drama, and even with all that a sense that the story could actually happen. You don’t find that very often.

22. Heft by Liz Moore - Any hype Heft gets is so completely deserved. As I was reading it I kept thinking “Yes! This is my kind of book!” I’m not sure I could do the story justice by trying to summarize it here, but I will tell you that on the surface the book seems lonely or about the idea of loneliness. It is not that, though. It is a story of hope and finding connection. It was even a two day read for me, if that means anything about its abilities to capture an audience. I definitely look forward to whatever Moore writes next. 

March 2012

12. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - I told a couple of friends that I wouldn’t read this book because I couldn’t handle what I knew would eventually happen. Turns out I read it anyway and of course found it to be actually cathartic. The writing is so superb that I’ve become a John Green fan along with the rest of you. Way to go internet for finally making me read this!

13. I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive by Steve Earle - Yes, that Steve Earle. I didn’t even realize he wrote novels until I was browsing the library. The book was written as if one of his songs were stretched over a few miles of paper which is to say that I felt more like a listener than a reader.

14. Death Comes to Pemberly by P.D. James - A murder mystery set around Pride and Prejudice? P.D. James is now hero status. Soooooo good…. if you’re into that sort of thing.

15. Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi - I took this recommendation from my friend Ryan and I’m glad I did because it was one of the most original books I’ve read in awhile. The only thing I wish I had done was read the inside cover first because I was a little confused about 80 pages in. But no fretting here! Turns out that I have a new writer to learn about an look forward to.

16. Smut by Alan Bennett - A couple of short stories about the other side of people. There is so much in this small book that it felt almost like it had to be hidden. But no! It’s fun to read on the subway.

17. Columbine by Dave Cullen - I was a freshmen in high school when it happened and even then I don’t think I grasped everything I should have regarding Columbine. This book puts every detail into perspective and attempts to answer why this even happened in the first place. It’s truly some of the finest writing I’ve encountered that doesn’t play to sympathy, but instead gives the reader what they need by simply telling the truth. I found this book via The Hairpin.