Reading List

Last month, after receiving a ton of wonderful book ideas, I got to work and ordered quite a few in anticipation of all the reading time I would have once I started nursing again. (And boy, have I had time!)

Side note: I generally don't buy a lot of books because I'm cheap and would rather get them for free from the library, I don't want to have to store them, and what if I don't like them? Then I'd feel like I wasted my money. But this time I bought them because I didn't want to have to deal with returning them on time and such. Plus, I got some really great deals on used books from Half.com.

Anywho.

As promised, here's a brief rundown of the books I've read so far.

Austenland by Shannon Hale
I had no idea what to expect from this book, only that I had never heard of it but had several people recommend it. It was a little more 'chic-lit' than I'm accustomed to (I don't do chic-lit), and was a bit predictable. But you know what? It was the perfect book to start off with. It was an easy read, didn't require a lot of thought, and the story was entertaining enough to keep me awake.

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
I know - where in the world did this one come from?! But my brother (a Glenn Beck groupie) had given it to me for Christmas and I figured it was probably time to get around to reading it. I wasn't expecting much and was thus pleasantly surprised. Again, light, easy reading, and fairly entertaining. A little preachy at times, but it had a good message. Much easier to stomach than the author. (Sorry, Kyle.)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
I absolutely LOVED this book. It was excellent. I love historical fiction, especially about WWII, and this book was about the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands. It was written as letters to and from all of the main characters, which you would think might be difficult to read but actually made it easier to understand and love the characters. This book is definitely a keeper.

The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas
Another excellent book. If you've read These Is My Words by Nancy Turner (one of my favorite books ever) then you'll love this book. Written in the form of a diary kept by a woman who moved to Colorado territory in the 1860's, you get a real sense of the hardships the settlers (and women in particular) endured. I was surprised but happy with the unexpected ending.

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
Okay - this is probably not a book I would recommend for a new mother. It took me a while to get through mainly because I really had to think about what I was reading. That said, I would definitely recommend it to anyone else. Weisman researches and theorizes about what would happen to the earth if humans suddenly disappeared. It was really interesting, thought provoking, and a little scary. As humans, we're not treating the earth very nicely, that's for sure. (Dad, you'd really like this book - want to borrow my copy?)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Okay, I actually haven't read this yet. In fact, I'm starting it today. But c'mon - Jane Austen and zombies? How can that combination be anything but excellent?! I'm sure it will be fun. (I'll let you know if I think differently.) Kevin, I totally had you in mind when I bought it.