JANUARY 2016 BOOKS

As Emily is coming home tomorrow, I don't see myself finishing anything else this month.


Here is my January list:




1)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson / A / **** / KINDLE

This was an interesting story but also a very implausible one. I always have this hang-up about books. While reading this story there was more than one time I said to myself, "OH COME ON REALLY?".


From goodreads: "Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch—and there's always a catch—is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. "


I read this book as it is on the Goodreads List I mentioned in my last post. I had avoided it in the past as I heard it was too scandalous. Darren listened to it and gave me a heads up and let me know what was what. I really thought the writing was well done and very very engaging. I can't recommend it though, due to level of sexual violence.


2) Dracula by Bram Stoker / A / ** / KINDLE

Despite my Twilight obsession of years past, I am NOT a vampire fan. The only reason I took on this book was for the Goodread's list. In it, Stoker outlines what is now traditional vampire lore, that vampires have no reflection in the mirror, that holy water, crosses, and garlic repel them, and that they can only be killed by having a stake driven through their heart. I wonder how much of this Stoker made up and how much really is folktale. I ended up enjoying the story. Basically Dracula is tired of living in Translyvania and decides to move to London where prey is a lot more available. The story is shared from the point of view of several people via their letters and journal entries. There was sure a lot of writing in which very little happened, but it was still an interesting picture into the thoughts and biases of those in Victorian times. The beginning was more exciting than the end.... and not to spoil it for anyone but the very end was rather anti-climatic. There were characters that were so annoying I almost wished Dracula would snack on all of them and be done with it. And there were a lot of sexual undertones. Those Victorians... let me tell you.


3) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy / A / *** / BOOK

I have felt rather unaccomplished for years because I just could not bring myself to read this book. It was just SO BIG you know? And I have a really hard time reading English authors (Dickens / Austen ). I love their stories mind you, I just have a hard time reading the language. I am a speed reader and having to actually READ every sentence feels laborious to me. But anyway, wasn't I surprised when I started reading this book and found it quite readable and quite enjoyable.

I loved reading about the way of life in that time period in Russia. The endless search for pleasure. The changes in the views of the day as society started to consider the rights of the lower class. I also loved the way Tolstoy wrote his characters. I really felt I understood their thoughts and their motivations. I enjoyed how the characters were experiencing times of transition in their lives, and he took me as a reader through it stop by step.

I don't know why it was called Anna Karenina. She has a role in it, but not more or less than a multitude of other characters. I found myself sad for her and sometimes annoyed. She was such a rebel by refusing to stay in a loveless marriage despite the social stigma associated with divorce but she spiraled down into a sniveling mess by the end. My favorite character was Levin. I was fascinated by his view of work, of the land, and the people that worked it. I really responded to his desire to figure out the "meaning of life" and how he searched for it a long time and then found it. I really related to his struggle especially as I've had my own struggles with how my religious beliefs differ from the opinions of the world. It was very powerful to me. I was glad I read this book.

4) 

The Picture of Dorian Gray

by Oscar Wilde / A / ** / BOOK

Another "classic" from the Good Reads list. I quite enjoyed this one. It was a fantastical story where a young and promising gentleman (Dorian) sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. We all know that you can have too much of a good thing, and the resulting moral disintegration of Dorian is illustrated by a portrait that changes each day to show the condition of the man's soul.  I can see why this one is on the classic list.

5) 

Son (Giver Quartet, Book 4) by Lois Lowry /  YA / ** / KINDLE

I love "The Giver". I did not like this one as a whole, although there were parts I really enjoyed. I was waiting for the story lines of "The Giver", "Gathering Blue" and "Messenger" to all weave together into a satisfying conclusion. And while the stories were all revisited to some degree, the ending was just... well.... weird. And disappointing. And strange. I didn't feel like it provided any type of closure or even justification to the other stories. My advice is to read "The Giver" and just stop there.

I read four books on my challenge list for 2016. Right now I'm reading "One Summer" by Bill Bryson and "These Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and listening to "Landline" by Rainbow Rowell.