Sadly, I fell WAY behind on my 2011 reviews. So, occasionally, I’ll be posting mini reviews to help catch up. This is round two. Check out round one, if you like. Though they all deserve their own posts, this will have to do.
Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson
Rating: 
My third encounter with Laurie Halse Anderson went well. This is a kind of dark look at anorexia, but it also kind of rang true. For some reason, this one just spoke to me. It’s well written, of course. But I also felt that it handled the characters and the subject matter with both delicacy and realism.
Something Borrowed, by Emily Giffin
Rating:
Ugg. I really really enjoyed the writing in this one. And the style. But I got really annoyed with the plot. I may be in the minority on this, but I was quite annoyed that the book condoned (over and over) an affair because the girlfriend/fiance/wife of the guy-cheater was a giant witch with a capital B. It kind of ruined a great love story for me. I will likely read more books by Emily Giffin, but I’ll try to avoid such themes. (I also just watched the movie. It follows the book pretty closely and thus left me with similar disappointments – though it was careful to emphasize that the cheater was not yet married.)
A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin
Rating:
Okay, a book club selection. I was very glad that we chose to read this one, since I’ve always wanted to read something by Ursula K. Le Guin. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. It reminded me of a Harry Potter story. The boy wizard starts at a wizard school and becomes a great wizard. Though, of course, this was written long before Harry Potter, and it’s much more intense.
Moonwalking with Einstein, by Joshua Foer
Rating:
I read this one on my Kindle on a bit of a whim. I raced through to the end. Foer trained for and competed in the U.S. Memory Championship. And while it was an interesting story, the climax was a little disappointing. And I wanted more insider tips on how to make my memory crazy-good. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I think two of the reasons that I didn’t love this were (1) I felt like Joshua Foer kind of won the competition by default, and (2) I can’t quite see the point of memorizing the order of decks of cards. (Also, did you know that Joshua Foer is the little brother of Jonathan Safran Foer?)
Sink Reflections, by Marla Cilley
Rating:
I’ve subscribed to the Fly Lady emails for a couple of years. She has ingenious tips for decluttering and keeping your house company ready by only working in 15-minute increments. The basic concepts are great. You can find almost all of the information in this book on the website, but I wanted to have it all written down in one place. I recommend both this book and the website for any one who struggles with housework.
A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin
Rating:
After watching the first season of the amazing HBO series by the same name, I knew I had to try out these books. And this one didn’t disappoint. George R.R. Martin is a talented dude. Really, the story and character arcs here are some of the best I’ve seen. And the world Martin creates is amazingly vivid. The very best part is the characters. I won’t soon be forgetting this one.
A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin
Rating:
So, I didn’t love this second installment as much as the first. Beware that lots of stuff happens – almost none of it good. Bad things happen over and over again. Annoyingly, WINTER IS COMING – and no one cares. By the end, I just felt a bit brow-beaten. But I still enjoyed spending time with these characters. I am, however, not sure that I will finish the series.
What the Dog Saw, by Malcolm Gladwell
Rating:
One of my favorite reads of 2011. This book is really great. It’s a collection of essays Malcolm Gladwell wrote for The New Yorker, so nothing new here unless, like me, you hadn’t read any of the articles before. There is quite the spread of topics here from profiling to ketchup to preschools. I loved every essay. And found them all to be compulsively readable. My favorite, probably, is the one about ketchup. In fact, I talked so much about the profound characteristics of ketchup after reading the article that my family still teases me about it. You should read them all!
Have you read any of these books? Which was your favorite?
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I bought Wintergirls a while ago after reading, and loving, Speak. Wasn’t What the Dog Saw thought provoking?
bermudaonion (Kathy)´s last post ..Wondrous Words Wednesday
Nice pile of books here! Way to go for catching up! :) And I need to know how to get the fancy stars in a post. Is it something way simple and I’m just not smart enough to think it through?
P.S. Beware, you’ve been tagged on my blog today, for a meme. If you want. If not, no worries!
Suey´s last post ..TAGGED!
Kathy – WHAT THE DOG SAW was amazing. I still talk about it.
Suey – Thanks! I wish I hadn’t gotten so far behind. 2011 wasn’t a great blogging year for me. I’ll go check out the tag. Thanks for thinking of me. Oh, and the stars. It’s a plugin. I’ll email you about it.
Hmmm, to read Wintergirls or not? You really should read Something Blue??? At least that’s what I think it’s called) By Giffin. It at least shines a light on the “bitch” and has a good ending for her. Plus her books are just addicting. ;) And, last but not least, I NEED to read A Game Of Thrones!
Jenny´s last post ..Following/Commenting Quandary
Jenny – I’m not sure whether you would like WINTERGIRLS or not. While I enjoyed it, I don’t think there are very many people I would feel comfortable recommending it to. And, okay, I’ll probably read SOMETHING BLUE at some point. I did like Giffin’s writing. And, finally, you do need to read A GAME OF THRONES. I think you’ll like it.
The only Laurie Halse Anderson book I’ve read is Speak, and I love it so much I’m almost afraid to try her other books. Which is silly, I know, and not usually how I respond to authors I love. Maybe I’ll give Wintergirls a try. I’ve never read The Game of Thrones, but I keep hearing and seeing it mentioned everywhere, so I might just cave in and read it one of these days.
Also: I love Ursula LeGuin. Her writing is phenomenal.
Love the mini reviews!
Emily´s last post ..Library Love: Worcester Talking Book Library
Emily – I know how it is when you want to keep an experience pristine. :) But, I’m guessing that if you liked SPEAK, you’ll enjoy WINTERGIRLS. And A GAME OF THRONES is worthwhile, but long and different. I think I need to read another Ursula Le Guin to get a better feel for her.