8.02.2012

Books I Read in July


Okay, so I only got around to reading 2.75 books this month - more on the .75 below.  The little family trip took up some of my reading time and Unbroken was a bit long, not one of those books you just can't wait to pick up...

Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand

It's such an eye opening read about WWII and what POWs went through.  The amazing story of survival, hope and miracles reminded me a bit of reading In The Heart of The Sea about the whale ship Essex. After awhile, though, I was getting confused as to where a number of the characters ended up in Japan and I wasn't always eager to pick it up, due to the repetitively awful scenes of the prison camps. But it's the part of the story that should be told and what those men went through should be remembered.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Aimee Bender

I certainly enjoyed the fantastical nature of this book - the main character has the ability to 'taste' the emotions of the person who cooked her food. However, it didn't seem to delve deep enough into a lot of the WHY. WHY was her mother so sad?? We come to find that other members of her family have these 'talents' when the story is nearly over, and I wish I could have learned more of their stories, especially the enigma that was her grandmother and the relationship she had with her mother. It was beautifully written and I certainly felt the sadness of this character's burdens. But, I dunno, I felt like I wanted more from this book...

Fifty Shades Darker, EL James

OK, I'm about 75% done; funny how so many people now talk in percentages about books, ahh, the Kindle revolution...  However, I can already give my full review on it: I feel the same way about this one as with the first one.  Here's a fun little video that explains ALL.  I can identify with all the points of view: it's fun to read, yet it's sorta degrading towards women and I'd be completely embarrassed to be caught reading it...




3 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed Unbroken, I'm somewhat of a history nerd (which is kind of funny because I have an awful memory) and found the first hand account fascinating. I hope it eventually gets made into a movie. I'm currently reading another historica non-fiction book called In the Garden of Beasts. You might like it, it's another WWII era account, but about the first American ambassador to Germany when Hitler came to power.

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    1. OH YES, I have that on my to-read list! Did you read Devil in the White City by the same author?? One of my favorite books EVER. Plus, it's Chicago-focused, a bonus to me ;)

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    2. Devil in the White City is on MY to-read list! I just downloaded Gone Girl, which was recommended by a friend, so I've got to finish up Garden of Beasts, read Gone Girl and then move on in my list. Never enough time to read them all!!

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