What I'm Reading

I can’t remember the last time I did a book post, and since Stieg Larsson has taken over my life lately I thought it was only fitting.


The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson

No but really when I say it's taken over my life, I wasn't kidding. I read the first book off and on. Then the last 300 pages or so I couldn't put down and immediately downloaded the next book, which I proceeded to read til all hours of the night for the next few days until I finished. I'm taking a break before I read the third and final book. But that Lisbeth Salander is addicting. I wouldn’t recommend it to most of you reading this, but I’m hooked. There is no turning back for me on this murder mystery series. Murder, abuse, sex trafficking – not for everyone, but riveting.


A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini

I finally picked this up over New Years in Puerto Rico. My NYC book club read it way back when, but it was the month I took the GMAT so I skipped it; Cassie gave it to me as a going away gift and yet two years later I still hadn’t picked it up. I’m glad I did. But there I was basking in the sun, bawling my eyes out. Not a beach read :)


The Summer We Read Gatsby, by Danielle Ganek

I picked these next two up at the library after reading about them in Real Simple. Mindless books that were easy to pick up and put down while traveling. I wanted so much more out of the Gatsby book with a title like that, but really it was just chick-lit. Although New Yorkers out in the Hamptons provided for some great quotes - "Sea air has the same components as lithium," she announced. "That's why you feel so good at the beach."


I Was Told There’s Be Cake, Sloane Crosley

This was an enjoyable collection of short stories. The comedy and drama of coming of age experiences in your mid-20s in Manhattan. A lot I could relate to, and some laugh out loud stories. The first essay was my favorite – “The Pony Problem.” Sloane developed a pony joke with friends ("Does anyone want anything? A drink? A pony? . . . "I have a present for you. What?!? A pony!" type jokes), so much so that boyfriends started giving them to her as jokes. She now has a collection underneath her kitchen sink that she’s afraid her mother will find after her untimely death. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who's thought about what my family and friends would find in my apartment if I died. Not dark and twisty secrets, just random Kristan-isms. I think Sloane led with her best story, but none the less an enjoyable airplane read. There is a podcast of "The Pony Problem" here.


The Help, Kathryn Stockett

I loved this book. I loved the characters. I loved the personality. I grew up in the South; I experienced prejudices; I’ve seen the maid corridors. But it is still crazy to think that this book was based on a history and a mindset that occurred less than 50 years ago. Fantastic. Highly recommended. I didn’t want it to end.

I have a new SLC book club. My attendance has been quite poor, but it's always fun when I'm in town and can go! Here are the few books I've read with the group:


Animal Farm, by George Orwell

I’m not sure how I got through high school without reading this, but I did. Even though I’d never read it, the whole time I was reading it I felt like I had. I knew what was going to happen. I knew the story. I knew the underlying political message. But a classic I can officially put a check mark by.


The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim DeFede

I wasn’t thrilled about this book when I saw it was about 9/11, but I ended up really, really enjoying it. The tragic events of 9/11 have been covered; I remember what that day was like for me, but what I had never heard about before is what happened to everyone that was on an airplane at the same time. This book is about 38 commercial airliners with over 6,000 passengers who were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada because of the airspace closure over the US – and were stuck there for 4 days. An amazing and touching story.


Same Kind of Different as Me, by Ron Hall & Denver Moore

Remember when I cried during my lunch break reading? That was this book. Think Blindside – a wealthy Dallas couple decide to give back by volunteering at a homeless shelter where they meet Denver who changes their lives. An inspiring, touching, enjoyable read.


Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

And of course at the end of the summer I had to read the third Hunger Games book. My Survivor meets The Bachelor young adult saga about Katniss, Peeta and Gale. I didn't hate the ending as much as some people did, but then again I've always been one to finish the story in my head the way I want it to end instead of the author's version (e.g. Gone with the Wind).

I feel like I’m forgetting something, but I think that’s everything I’ve read in the last six months or so!