Monday, January 16, 2012

Go Read

Kind of anti-climactic since we're well into 2012 and all but it's time for an Ashley's book of the year post!! (Yaaaaaaay, you all cry!)

2011 was a good reading year.

I loved The Hunger Games . I hate young adult anything, I hate anything futuristic/unbelievable, and I hate series but I completely loved these books. I read them in just over a weekend, I couldn't put them down. But they don't win.

I also loved The Night Circus . This was the last book I read in 2011 and you would think it would win because I have book amnesia and forget everything I've read, plus this was a magical, creative, interesting, beautifully-written book. But it didn't win.

The book that wins, and I barely even remember it, was Same Kind of Different As Me . This was a powerful, moving, sweet book. I hate books where I feel they are trying to emotionally manipulate me and I thought this would be that kind of story. I only bought it was because it was on sale. I really enjoyed every page of it though and when I finished it I was so impressed that the author had put together such a wonderful story with such real and lovable characters...and then I read that it was based on a true story. That really blew me away. I was impressed with it as fiction, it's even more lovely knowing it was real.You should read it, it will make you feel good.

And although it's embarrassing to admit, I have to give a shout out to Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home. I rolled my eyes at its ridiculous length and it's Martha-esque advice (have dark colored wash cloths embroidered with the word 'make up' so guests know which cloth to use to remove theirs. Haha, yeah. Or I could just continue not having guests because that works too) but she did have some interesting and helpful advice on organizing and cleaning things and whatever else (I don't know because I forgot all of it). I really need to own this book. I asked if I could renew it at the library and the librarian said, "You're the only person who has ever checked this book out, you could probably keep it and no one would notice" but I know the library WOULD notice because they are mean and evil and on top of their game.

So there we go. We are officially done with 2011 and I'm not all that sad to see it go.

2 comments:

Jennifer said...

I've had that book Same Kind of Different As Me on my Nook forever and I keep glossing over it and reading other things. I guess I need to stop that.

Sasha said...

Ok, so I know I am commenting on an old post, but I was searching to see if we had discussed the Hunger Games, because I am dragging Mr. Sasha to see it tonight. I am so excited because 1. The last movie I saw was The Lorax, which, while good, was a kids movie. And 2. I want to see Gale. And Peeta. And decide which one I would have chosen.