Nonfiction

I read and/or attempted to read three nonfiction books during this period: Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. I only read a little Krakauer's book. Really boring. It was about life in the Mormon polygamist compounds in Colorado and Utah. The subject matter itself was fairly interesting, with pretty tough-to-take goings on, but the writing style was SUCH a snore that I couldn't take it. Unbroken was a very good book. It did have one aspect of nonfiction that I don't like - a very didactic, instructive style to the writing - but no one can deny that the plot is harrowing. What Zamparini went through as a soldier in WWII is almost unimaginable, and I'm glad this author told his story. Half the Sky is about the effects of global poverty on women and particularly focuses on sex trafficking. As a professional woman who is very in tune with discrimination issues, this book really hit me. While, of course, discrimination in the U.S. is real and a problem, my concerns in that regard surround professional advancement and pay. My concerns aren't lethal.

Stephen King, 11/22/63

You would think this was another genre departure for me, but no. This was genre departure for Mr. King. This is a clever, compelling book about using time travel to attempt to stop the Kennedy assassination, of course, invoking a butterfly effect. I haven't read much Stephen King, but, wow, he is a good writer, and funny too. His relationships felt real, and I completely bought into the plot despite its fantastical nature. It is well documented that I don't like nice, neat little bows at the end of my books, and this delivered on that, although I thought the ending was also quite sweet. I do not want to hear "I don't like/read Stephen King" as an excuse to not read this book. It's great.

The Passage, by Justin Cronin

Science, vampires, apocolypse... fantastic. Not exactly the review you would expect from me on a sci-fi novel. But this book was so exciting that I was completely forgiven of my genre departure. The backstories of both the "heros" and the vampire/zombie/whatevers were great - I'm excited to see how the somewhat sympathetic horrible monsters play out. Yes, this is a series. Book 2, The Twelve, comes out in October.

Those Who Save Us, by Jenna Blum

This is a very compelling story about a woman professor researching her German heritage. While the professor learns many stories from Germans in her community, we learn the story our main character does not know - her own mother's story from a small German village in WWII. The misconceptions and misunderstandings between mother and daughter were realistic and, then, exacerbated by the extenuating circumstances of the mother's painful history. I haven't often read a WWII story from the perspective of a German, and this was a very good one. Probably a read geared more toward women, but not total chick lit. Recommend.

Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

I enjoyed this final installment more than a lot of people did, I think. But all I really expected out of it was to know what was going to happen, and it delivered on that. I was pretty satisfied with the way it ended. I liked the twists of the solution to the horrible Capitol not being an ideal solution. I liked what Katniss chose as far as her relationships go... but it was pretty set up for the way it went. I think I could have been happy with the other options there, too.

Overall, a pretty exciting series. I know it won't stick with me the way Narnia or Harry Potter did. These books just aren't nearly as good. But very entertaining, and I'd recommend them.

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

I haven't read a book in two days in... well, I did it earlier this week, and I did it again. Catching Fire captivated me just as much as The Hunger Games. I was initially a little disappointed with the repetition (both with the relationships, and the plot), but the author ultimately did a fine job keeping it fresh for me. I do wish that the author would be a little more bold with taking risks with some of the characters, but overall, I'm loving this saga.

The end of this book confirmed a prediction I had made pretty early on in the first book. Normally, I criticize predictability, but, really, there are only so many roads a book in this genre can take (so, also for that reason, I'm not taking too much credit for my prediction). I'm excited to read the third and see how this all ends!

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

It's been a long time since I've read a book in two days, probably since the great Harry Potter feast of 2007 when I devoured seven books in two weeks. This book had me hooked from about page four, and I was resenting anything that took me away from it.

It is an Orwell/Bradbury-esque tale in a postapocolyptic United States where the government is firmly in control. There was definitely a lot of commentary on pop culture, especially television. It was also surprisingly gruesome for a young adults novel. But they kept it very clean with the romance. I always find that very interesting - that brutal, bloody gore is more acceptable than romance.

The characters in this book have a lot of depth. The main character, Katniss, is cool, hard and calculating... yet very likeable. You really get a feel in very short order for what makes the other contestants in the Games tick. The drunken mentor is a GREAT character. Peeta's character unfolds at a perfect pace.

I'm just not going to say any more about this book. I think you should read it. Best to read it on a plane or on vacation where you won't be forced to constantly set it down. If you do choose to read it while going about your normal day, please look ahead of you every now and then so you don't walk into any streetlights.