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recommended reading
In honor of the new year (it's still relatively new) I've decided to write my impressions of the books I read in 2007. It's a decent mix of genres, from classics to beach reads.
Sea Change, by Sylvia A. Earle. This book describes Sylvia's lifelong love of scuba diving and the sea. It's part autobiography, part a treatise on why and how we should protect the oceans. Her beautifully written descriptions of the world under the sea almost made me want to learn to scuba dive. Almost.
Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen. I have to admit, I read it so long ago that I'm having trouble separating it in my head from her other books. But I remember liking it.
I am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe. This is the story of a girl's freshman year in college, and her struggles adapting. I think Wolfe did quite a bit of research about modern college life for this book and it shows. At times, the details transported me back to my freshman year. I started reading it while I was back at my alma mater for reunions and my brother's graduation, which made it that much more realistic.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling. If you're a Harry Potter fan, you've read it. If not, you won't read it. All in all, I was happy with the conclusion, but sad about the end of an era.
Runaway Jury, by John Grisham. I've liked all the Grisham books I've read and this was no exception. It centers on a tobacco trial and started to get into some interesting ethical questions.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie. If you like Agatha Christie, or even a murder mysteries in general, you must read this book. I was blown away. I don't want to spoil it though.
What is the What, by Dave Eggers. The "autobiography" of one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. The story is told through a series of flashbacks. It's good, but depressing.
Children of the Mind, by Orson Scott Card. The final book of a trilogy based on the main character of Ender's Game. If you want a sci-fi book, and haven't read Ender's Game, read that. If you like it, the trilogy is worth it, although I think the first book of the trilogy (Speaker of the Dead) was my favorite.
Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier. I've wanted to read this book since 8th grade. We were given a choice of books to read for English class. I chose one of the others, but thought Rebecca sounded good, too. So, over a decade later, I finally got to it. I enjoyed it.
Everyone Worth Knowing, by Lauren Weisberger. Ok, don't judge me. I have enough mildly intellectual books on here. I was at the airport in Paris, and was mostly done with Rebecca and had an 11 hour flight ahead of me. This was one of the few books in English at the bookstore. This book is written by the same author as The Devil Wears Prada, and since I liked that book, I decided to give it a try. It's basically the same story as The Devil Wears Prada - single girl trying to find herself in NYC. It was entertaining enough to get me through the flight though, and I was glad to have it because the A/V system was broken on the plane so there was no movie!
The ABC Murders, by Agatha Christie. Not one of her best. You can do a lot better with Christie.
Passionate Minds, by David Bodanis. A biography of Emilie du Chatelet (a woman scientist in 18th century France) and her relationship with Voltaire. Normally I have trouble getting through biographies, but this one was really well written and had lots of interesting details about life back then.
The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman. I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie (which I never got around to). It took me about half the book to get into it, but then it got really good.
And finally,
The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman. Technically, I finished this in 2008, but it was over winter break so I'll count it. I was so hooked after the first book, that I read the second one in no time.
I'm halfway through the third book of the trilogy, but that review will have to wait for next year.
