A Year of Reading: April 2012
1. Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman
2 stars on GoodReads
This was OK. I think my main problem was that I didn't much like Piper. The author was an accomplice in a drug trafficking for a short while as a college student/recent grad - ten years after doing this, she is charged and sentenced to 15 months in prison. She spent the bulk of her time at Danbury in Connecticut (but not in the maximum security section). A true story but it is a bit cliched: "A well-educated, upper class white woman goes to prison and builds strong bonds with her fellow inmates, who are mostly undereducated women of color from the wrong side of the tracks." (Lynn Doughty, GoodReads Review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/182397746)
2. The Brass Verdict by Michael Connolly
4 stars on GoodReads
Two years after the cases in 'The Lincoln Lawyer', Mickey Haller is back, taking on the case of a prominent studio executive accused of murdering his wife and her lover. I don't remember much about this one; I think I read it in a day while on vacation!
3. The Reversal by Michael Connolly
Defense attorney Mickey Haller is recruited to change sides and prosecute the high-profile retrial of a brutal child murder. The originally convicted killer Jason Jessup has been exonerated by new DNA evidence 24 years after the first trial. This was a lot creepier than I expected, I was really quite worked up that something terrible was going to happen. (It ... did, but not what I was expecting.) There was a twist and the ending was kind of unsatisfying but still a good read. This alternated between first- and third-person narration from two different characters, which was a bit jarring.
4. Seven Grandmothers by Reba Paeff Mirsky
3 stars on GoodReads
The sequel to Thirty One Brothers and Sisters, Nomusa of the Zulu people takes us into the world of witch doctors. She is thinking of becoming one herself; she also meets one of her tribeswomen, who is a nurse. I think I would have liked this better if I had read it when I was younger and had just read Thirty One Brothers and Sisters. After all these years, this book (and the next one) felt tacked-on. Also, witch-doctoring and/or nursing is not NEARLY as interesting as an elephant hunt!
5. Nomusa and the New Magic by Reba Paeff Mirsky
3 stars on GoodReads
This is the third book in the series. This story shows the changes in Zulu society as the Western ideas of education are arriving in the area. Nomusa goes to school, and wants to be a nurse. Her brother wants to be a teacher. is attending nursing school has moved in with Buselapi, assisting her in nursing while she attends school to get the basic education that will enable her to attend nursing school in the big city. And Damasi tries to find a way to raise the dowry he'll need to court Nomusa! (Yay, Nomusa+Damasi!!)
Again, I think I would have loved this as a child/young adult, as a grown-up it was just OK. But nice to see time pass and get some resolutions!
6. Cinnabar the One O'Clock Fox by Marguerite Henry
5 stars on GoodReads
Told from the fox's point of view, this is the story of Cinnabar and the day he spends teasing, taunting, and trying to survive a fox hunt led by George Washington! I absolutely loved this as a child, and I loved it as an adult, too!
7. The Fifth Witness by Michael Connolly
3 stars on GoodReads
Here's the thing about Mickey Haller books - if you think someone is innocent, they probably aren't. Unless they are. And if you think someone is guilty, they probably aren't. Unless they are. In this book, Mickey is dealing with the foreclosure industry, and one case that goes from foreclosure to murder. Satisfying and well-done twists. (Not sure about the wicked beating Mickey takes very early in the book - it seemed out of place to me in the series?)
8. The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon
2 stars on GoodReads
Gave up. If you know more about the period or are interested in it, this might hold your interest more. This is a fictional account of the time that Aristotle spent with the young Alexander (eventually to become The Great). It just didn't work for me.
9. The Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
3 stars on GoodReads
LOTS of red herrings, and a very gullible narrator who drags the reader along with him down each false trail. Frustrating but entertaining!
10. The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure (reread)
4 stars on GoodReads
I loved this when I read the hardcover last year, and asked for the paperback for my birthday. I just got it, and immediately reread it. Still good!
11. Crucible of Gold (Temeraire series #7) by Naomi Novik
3 stars on GoodReads
Better than book 6 (Australia) which I hated the whole time I was reading it and get annoyed just thinking about now. This one has to do with the New World, and describes encounters between the British envoy (including Temeraire and Laurence, of course) and the Incan empire. I really liked the ideas of the Incan society and its approach to dragons. Still not sure how they are ever going to get back to fighting the Napoleonic Wars, especially with how this book ends, but of course I'll keep reading, I'm in it for the long haul.
12. Drop Dead Healthy by A.J. Jacobs
4 stars on GoodReads
Enjoyed this, maybe not QUITE as much as his previous 'self-experiment' books, but very interesting and of course I find Jacobs to be a very funny writer. This book is about health (obviously) and A.J.'s attempt to be the healthiest possible. He looks at many different aspects of health and healthy living, and does discuss part of what I find the most frustrating: contradictory diet and exercise advice. He tries extreme things, reasoning that trying the extremes is how you find the middle ground you can live with. Inspiring and hilarious. I wished it were more detailed, and longer!!
13. Our Queen by Robert Hardman
4 stars on GoodReads
A little fawning, but I like the Queen too, so it didn't bother me that much. Really interesting look at the monarchy and how it has changed (and not) in the 60 years of Elizabeth II's reign, and how it has transitioned to the 21st century. The author is a long-time Royal observer and writer, and clearly has a lot of 'ins' with the family and staff. The only place it lost me was the the discussion of the county lieutenants - boring!! The stuff about the Commonwealth was interesting - I'm a part of it but don't honestly know much about what it does. This book is current, up-to-date, and well done!
My favourite bit was learning about the invitation extended by Estonia in 1994 after their break from the Soviet Union to Edward, asking if he wanted to come be King of Estonia. Awesome. (He politely declined.)
14. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
2 stars on GoodReads
This was frustrating but I did want to know what happened. The narrator is the average-in-all-ways goody-goody Rachel, always being outshone by her gorgeous best friend Darcy, who gets everything her way - and then Rachel sleeps with Darcy's fiance.* I disliked all of the characters and wanted them to just get on with it already. I called a major plot twist quite early on. Apparently the sequel is better and from Darcy's POV, I would actually be interested in that. *Not really on purpose, but not as plottingly as I would like. Like Nan in Circle of Friends, I like seeing the POV of the person who intentionally does something like that.
Reading Now, Up Next, or In Transit At the Library:
-Gillespie and I by Jane Harris
-Seen Reading by Julie Wilson
-Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History
What are you reading lately? What do you recommend? Are you on GoodReads? If so, please feel free to add me there!