Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Books I Read in October and November: 2010

I didn't ever get around to posting the books I read in October and do you know what? No one even noticed or cared. That said, reading books is fun. I like it. Here's what I read in October and November.

How Not to Look Old by Charla Krupp. Get a body shaper. Don't wear too much eye make up or dark lipstick. Done and done. And done.


Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregliss. What if we had Super Heroes and Magic to fight Nazis? Where do I sign!


Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Women by Kristine Carlson. This was a good book, I guess. I was too distracted by the author's references to her daughter named "Jazzy" to notice anything else. Jazzy?


On Gratitude by Todd Aaron Jensen. This is a very interesting book with short interviews by famous people. Insightful, humble, coherent famous people are not plentiful. Stan Lee is one. John Krasinski is another. Wow. Movie stars say a lot of cliches.


*The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Everyone who suggested this book to me was absolutely right. It is one of my top 5 favorite books ever. It is beautiful and moving and interesting. I love it. You might think, what else could someone write about the Holocaust?(See also Bitter Seeds.) Or you might think that you know all about the Holocaust already. But you're wrong and this book is something special. If you loaned it to me, I will return it soon. But I did spill some Diet Coke on it so I'm buying you a new one.


*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling. Really, really awesome. It's such a great story. I really wish people who think they are too good for Harry Potter could know how delightful this series is. But I'm actually kind of glad they don't because it's a way of punishing them for having bad taste and being prideful. If you haven't read it out loud to your kids, seen all the movies on opening night, dressed up as the characters for Halloween or had deep, meaningful chats about the nature of good and evil and the importance of treating others kindly then you just missed out on ten years of rollicking good fun.



The Introvert Advantage by Marti Olsen Laney. Life-changing for a person like me. I always thought I was just a failed extrovert.


*The Introvert and Extrovert in Love by Marti Olsen Laney. Also life-changing. This books describes every fight Christian and I have ever had--he always thought I was just a failed extrovert.


Gunn's Golden Rules by Tim Gunn.  Tim Gunn is a good person. He's also an introvert.


Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman. I have a special testimony of Abraham Lincoln. He was important. I kind of love him. A few Saturdays ago after I did some preliminary chores it became clear to me that I would stay in bed for the rest of the day and watch the History channel. I'm not shy about how much I love certain TV shows, but it's actually quite uncommon for me to lay around and watch live TV for several hours. I started with a show about Lincoln which was incredible and informative. Then I watched something about Lizzy Borden and then D.B. Cooper. They were less inspiring.


Soft-Spoken Parenting by Wallace Goddard. This has some great suggestions and I really like the principle of this book. Abraham Lincoln would like this book, too.  He said, "It is my pleasure that my children are free, happy, and unrestrained by parental tyranny. Love is the chain whereby to bind a child to its parents."


So there you have it. I've read 55 books this year. Some are short and some are long. Recommendations are always welcome--if it weren't for blog comments I would never have read The Book Thief, which would be a great loss.

28 comments:

  1. I always look forward to your book posts!

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  2. Yup, Book Thief was awesome.

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  3. I noticed you hadn't posted about books, and I cared! But I'm a lowly anonymous lurker so I didn't say anything.

    I would be interested in your take on "I Remember Nothing" by Nora Ephron. Her writing reminds me a bit of yours. It's a very funny and short book.

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  4. we moved two months ago and i finally got a new library card today! i'm so excited because i too LOVE to read and the library is one of my favorite places. i like your book posts!

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  5. I just knew you'd love The Book Thief.

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  6. i just found out something really interesting yesterday that is abe-related... the police station right by our house predates the 1900s (according to their arrest book) and in it they found that john wilkes booth was booked there on a public drunkenness charge, spent the night in a cell there, and left the next day TO ASSASSINATE ABRAHAM LINCOLN. i bet those cops felt so stupid for letting him go free.

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  7. Well, I like these posts because I only read books if someone says it was good. I've even read books just because you posted them here! And I'll read some of the ones you posted here. Thank you for your helpful information. And wasn't there already various crap on the book when you got it?
    But you do need your own copy because now that you know how important this book is you have a responsibility to show up on celebrity bloggers' doorsteps to lend it to them.
    And guess what? I like Abe, too, which is why I got me a son named Lincoln.

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  8. Does it make you sad to see my sloppy grammar? Poor sentence structure? Missspelllings?
    I'm verry sory.

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  9. I've been saving HP to read to my kids. What's the right age to start reading them to children? I know they get darker as they go along and don't want to plow through the books at an age where they won't understand what's happening.

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  10. I think you might like The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Also, The Elegance of the Hedgehog.

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  11. No idea if these are any good but since you asked and I saw the headline 2 seconds later, I copied the link:
    http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2010/1201/Best-books-of-2010-fiction/36-Arguments-for-the-Existence-of-God-by-Rebecca-Newberger-Goldstein

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  12. Don't worry about coke stains on a book - I love me a well-read, oft-read book!!

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  13. I use these posts as my guide at the library. Keep them coming, please.

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  14. I've heard from a few people that "The Help" is a really good book. Not sure if you've read that one.

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  15. Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos. I promise you'll love it. My recommendation track record is solid.

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  16. I have one for you -- Stiff by Mary Roach

    http://books.google.com/books?id=lDX9C441kxkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=stiff+mary+roach&source=bl&ots=W90Umf9cSP&sig=BoYviiTts_C-3vRs_dIjndD9prs&hl=en&ei=3E_3TOjoBIiCsQPpyPn4AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

    It's informative, funny, insightful, and off the beaten path. Different but interesting.

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  17. I would have stopped reading the minute I hit the first Jazzy.

    Book thief and Harry Potter: YES!

    I am intrigued by your introvert books. I might just kindle one, so that I don't actually have to go to a library where I have to see and smile at people to get it.

    That Lincoln biography was one of the only good things that happened to me while I was a BYU ElEd major.

    And did you attempt any Helprin yet? Did I tell you most people I recommend it to think I'm weird? (Freddy&Fredericka has falconers in it, tho.)

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  18. I feel like your "people who think they are too good for Harry Potter" comments are always directed toward me. There was a time where I felt that way, but I've taken some steps! Really that just means that I've finally watched all the movies and I like them.

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  19. Anonymous12:16 PM

    Since you mentioned Lincoln - I just read My Name is Mary Sutter which is about a midwife who becomes a surgeon on the battlefield during the Civil War. Lincoln appears briefly. It was a really interesting read especially if you like medical things and women being awesome.

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  20. Thanks for making me want to find time to read books again.

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  21. I cared!! I was so excited to see this this morning!

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  22. How funny! I thought your HP comments were directed at Chris, too! So it must be true!

    I am also reading Tim Gunn's book right now and I love him so much I think I'm obsessed. He is exactly what is missing out of my new New York life. And I imagine me telling him all sorts of stories about "my friends Kacy and Lisa." And then we'll all go out to eat and make fun of ridiculous celebrities.

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  23. I totally totally agree with your opinion of Harry Potter books. I think members of my family are sick of me telling them to read the books. How can you even begin to understand the movies without reading the books first? I was also surprised more parents didn't take their 9-year olds to the midnight showing--hello?

    The DB Cooper shows always kind of freak me out. I think it is the pencil sketch that is kind of creepy...

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  24. I listen to the Harry Potter series on audiobook. It makes long drives fabulous and my kids love it -- even those who have already read it. I prefer the audio version simply for those great accents.

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  25. I liked the Abe Lincoln quote.

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  26. I love seeing what books you read! Are you on goodreads? If so, how can I become your friend?

    Have you read Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce books? They are fun reads.

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  27. Dear Kacy,

    I like you. I like your book reviews. Yes, please read Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce books.--bonus, the second one is already out so no waiting. I love it when that happens--also, The Help. Read it.

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  28. The Book Thief was one of my favorites this year.

    At least Jazzy isn't really named Jazmin and called Jazzie....not after the flower, oh, no, after the Utah Jazz.

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