Books: 2013 Part 2

I tried to keep my opinions short and sweet, I really did. But I read 30 books in the past 6 months and so it's a long one.
Part 1 is here. 

1. Stardust by Neil Gaiman. **** I love the movie and now I love the book as well. They are fairly similar, although the feel of the book is more adventure/fairytale and the movie is more love story.

2. False Colours by Georgette Heyer ** This story has some mystery to it and I thought the characters were endearing, but it didn't have enough romance for me. Plus, (begin rant) any book that has twins and part of the plot is that one twin "knows" what the other is thinking/feeling because they are twins automatically gets a deduction from me. I'm sorry, but I have to roll my eyes at this idea. Twins DO NOT have this ability and you should stop asking us if we do. (end rant)

3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (P.S.) by Betty Smith ***** Read this! If I were to write a book, this is exactly the kind of book I'd want to have written. I savored it. A fictional biography of sorts about Francie Nolan, an Irish-American who grew up poor in Brooklyn with a drunk father. Really well-written.

4. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson *** A book about the migration of black people from the South out to the North and West during the 20th century, specifically focusing on 3 people. It seemed more biography than history book to me and I was expecting the latter. Their individual migration stories were interesting, but I wanted more research.

5. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty ***** I couldn't put this down. 30 year old Alice wakes up from a bad fall thinking she's still 20. Not as slow and agonizing as I thought it'd be. It gives you enough tantalizing details to make you want to keep reading but not in a frustrating ugh just tell me already kind of way. And I didn't think the ending was expected.

6. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson *** Interesting, yes. Compelling, no. Story of the American Ambassador and his family in Berlin from 1933-1937. I didn't find it as intense as I thought the title made it seem it would be, which was a bit of a letdown but after further reflection I think that was part of the point - that Hitler's regime took control stealthily and subtlety. And when it was overt people chose not to (or couldn't) understand what he was really doing.

7-16. The Betsy-Tacy Series by Maud Hart Lovelace **** I read the first 4 (there are 10) when I was young and I loved the later, adult versions even more. It's a semi-autobiographical account of the author's idyllic life growing up in Deep Valley, Minnesota. I can't wait to read these to my girls.

17. Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving ***** Love the way he writes. Fantastic. It's short, so no one has any excuse for not reading this.

18. Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson **** I had no knowledge of this subject except for John Wilkes Booth and didn't they find him in a barn or something? (Yes. A tobacco barn.) So it was fascinating to read about, and I thought very well-written. This is the Young Adult version - I didn't realize he had an adult version of this subject too until I finished, which I may also try to read.

19. French Kids Eat Everything by Karen LeBillon *** Similar to Bringing Up Bebé. A comparison of American and French eating habits and perhaps a little longer than it needs to be. We changed a few of our routines because of this book and T (who has always been a terrible eater) eats a little better and little more now. So if you have a picky eater, I recommend it.

20. Bossypants by Tina Fey *** Really good if you are interested in Tina Fey, 30 Rock and SNL. After reading this, I realized I was not. But still pretty amusing.

21. The Great and Only Barnum by Candance Fleming **** Young Adult Nonfiction about the life of P.T. Barnum. Lots of great pictures and stories and blurbs off to the side. The book is designed really well. It was just a really fun, quick read.

22. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella **** I stayed up till 1 AM so I could finish this. Cute story about a girl that finds a phone and meets a guy. I thought the ending was a bit sudden. In case you couldn't tell, chick-lit is my guilty pleasure, and this was a good one.

23. The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal ***** Really really good. Another book that changed some of my routines for the better - I intend on buying this and rereading it. Full of interesting studies, the biological science behind willpower, and useful tips. The book was written based on a course taught by the author and is organized similarly to the class with assignments after each chapter.

24. The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel *** I had no idea this even happened. The Allies had a special Army Force that went through and tried to save all the monuments, art, buildings and other cultural pieces of Europe during WWII. It is a fascinating topic but the writing was not that good. I felt like it took a while to get momentum going and then it was all over the place and ended abruptly.

25. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury **** Great. Classic. Read It. Marvel that Ray Bradbury could predict where we were going in 1953.

26. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch *** I almost feel bad for not liking this one more, since it is basically the last words of wisdom from a man dying of cancer. It's pretty much what you'd expect-humorous, good advice, but nothing really stood out for me.

27. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell * Boring. I didn't finish this. I didn't like the writing style or the storyline. It's a romance about two opposites in 1800s England, which only made me want to read Pride and Prejudice.

28. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.***** I started reading the first page and actually sighed in contentment. This is good literature. Good writing, love the characters, love the story. If you have not read this yet, I don't know what's wrong with you.

29. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. ** I don't regret reading it but probably wouldn't recommend it. It's about an older British widow falling in love with a Pakistani widower from his small village and the issues that go along with that. The characters annoyed me, even the two main ones and I didn't really get the points she was trying to make about racism and family.

30. Under The Black Flag by David Cordingly **** This book was written after a wildly successful museum exhibit the author put together about pirates. It could read a little bit like a museum plaque - tons of interesting information, but a little dry. He tries to differentiate between the reality of pirate life and how we've come to romanticize it - he described it as more like a horror film than the adventure films we associate with a pirate's life. If you're interested in this subject at all, I highly recommend it.

31. Candyfreak by Steve Almond *** It started off really good. He focuses on the heyday of candy bar companies and smaller regional bars that are still being made. His descriptions of candy bars and the way they are made and how they taste are mouth-watering. But towards the end it descended into constant self-pity (my parents didn't love me, candy bars are my only comfort, blah blah blah) and political jabs at Bush and conservatives (this guy is a LIBERAL.) It ruined it for me.

32.  The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan ** Meh. I thought this was going to be a fun romance. It covers the history of the diamond engagement ring and 4 different stories of couples. But it was boring, I felt like she was just ripping on marriage the entire time, and almost all the characters were annoying. 

So in total, I read 48 books this year, which is slightly better than I did last year. Maybe next year I will actually hit 50. But don't hold me to that.

I have a huge list of books on my to-read list but I always love more recommendations....

EDIT: I forgot two! So guess what, I did reach 50 books. Boo-ya.
33. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom ***** I can't believe I forgot this because it was a fantastic book! About a Dutch woman's experience in a Nazi concentration camp and how she was able to survive it. So inspiring.
34. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous *** Short and definitely takes all the appeal out of doing drugs. Also, it was not taken from a real diary, despite what the book says.

EDIT: 51. I read 51 books.
35. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster *** Very clever and lots of wordplay, but I kind of hate puns so while I could appreciate the inventiveness, it wasn't really my cup of tea.