239/300

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Not really sure how I missed this review somewhere along the way.



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238/300

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Still not feeling the hype behind this series. Now that I am reflecting on this book, I am wondering why the beginning even happened. What did that add to the story? Why were those characters involved? Anyway, as I was reading I kept thinking of the review on here that talks about how it is like an Ikea commercial. Again, totally unnecessary to hear about every piece of Swedish furniture she decided to buy. This book took me two solid weeks to read. I had a really hard time keeping all of the Swedish names straight. Yet, I still found myself wanting to read and see what happened.



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237/300

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I thought this was well done and heartbreaking. To go through what this author has gone through and have such a great head on his shoulders is amazing. Tells the story of the war in Sierra Leone with honesty and brutality and is a great eye opener for those of us lucky enough to never have to experience it firsthand.



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236/300

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Interesting and disturbing story of a young girl forced into an arranged marriage. Her story is heartbreaking, but the writing is short and childish.



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235/300

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I thought this book did a good job of telling a story from the point of view of someone with Aspbergers. Yet I agree with the other reviews that said the element of a school shooting seemed unnecessary.



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234/300

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I feel bad giving this a bad review, but I found it really boring. Some of it had some shocking and interesting elements, but I just found it told in a very dry way.



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233/300

Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Although I see some criticism of this book for being a "lite" version of Pollan's other books, I think that is actually a benefit. Unless you are really interested and invested in eating better, most people aren't going to sit down and read Omnivore's Dilemma. I wrote my thesis on it and I still find it boring. But this book (which really isn't much of a book at all, but really a list of rules) is a quick and beneficial read that will have me looking at the foods I buy in a new light.



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232/300

Blindness by José Saramago

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Saramago is a unique writer. None of the characters in the story had names - they were identified by their characteristics, like "The girl with dark glasses." I am torn between thinking this is very clever, since everyone is blind, and very silly, because if everyone is blind, wouldn't names be easier than identifying characteristics that you can't see? Another eclectic feature of his writing style is the lack of paragraphs. Every page seems like one long sentence or thought. This made it a little difficult for me to get through because it felt like it went on forever, but I still enjoyed the book. The thought of how quickly things can go terribly wrong is terrifying, and I found the dedication of the wife to be pretty uplifting.



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231/300

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson




Short, quick read.



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230/300

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Again, a book that just has far too much hype and that I didn't feel was worth it. Bravo to the authors for creating male characters who were different and for taking on gay teenagers. But I just thought the whole thing was silly. I really didn't like Tiny and I didn't understand his worship. I just really didn't think the book was all that entertaining.



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229/300

Room by Emma Donoghue

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I thought this book was incredible. I finished it in 24 hours because I really didn't want to put it down. Did it have flaws? Sure. But I had no problem suspending any criticism and becoming fully immersed in Jack's world.



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228/300

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I am still stuck in the Harry Potter rut. I am reading it because it's Harry Potter and I am an avid reader, so how can I not finish the series? I don't dislike it. But I don't love it. It takes me forever to get through, but I do find myself wanting to finish. In this particular book, Professor Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic infuriated me, so I suppose that means I am invested in it. And I was absolutely shocked at the ending. I feel so bad for Harry. When people said the books got more adult, I still wasn't expecting so much sadness. There always seems to be a magical way to fix it. That wasn't true in this book.



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227/300

The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I should really stop reading Elizabeth Berg. I just find her writing to be whiny and annoying. Nan is having a bit of a mid-life crisis, so she runs away from her husband and decides to interact with everyone along the way. It's not that I can't relate to wanting to run away from it all. But it was done in such a whining manner that I couldn't take it.



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226/300

Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I would rate this somewhere between Evanovich's crummy early novels, and my well-loved Stephanie Plum novels. The premise was over the top, especially with the magic and whatnot, but it was Evanovich's familiar voice. It was a fun, quick, light read.



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225/300

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Another book that everyone raves about, that I just wasn't entirely feeling. I keep hearing how it is beautifully written, which is nice, but it just didn't grip me, as say, Before I Fall.



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224/300

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I didn't dislike this book. But I didn't love it either, despite all of the raves. At 541 pages, I felt like it wasn't going to end. From Africa to America and back I felt the pain of Marion and I guess it just got too painful after a while. There was very little redemption and too many sad stories.



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223/300

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


There was a lot of hype surrounding this book, and as someone who tends to dislike books with hype, and doesn't really like YA novels, I was pleasantly surprised by this offering. The main character of the book dies near the beginning. Yet she remains the main character because she is unable to move on. She keeps living the same day over and over with the same result. She realizes she must change something in order to break the cycle. Heartbreakingly entertaining, I recommend this read.



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222/300

Water for Elephants re-read. I didn't think I would love it as much the second time, but I did!

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Honestly, I am not feeling the hype for this series. The beginning of this book was really boring, but everyone said to keep going because the beginning was just financial setup. But once I got passed all of that, I still was not all that thrilled. I thought it was far more drawn out than it had to be, and the characters are really not very likable. There was enough drama to keep me entertained, but not enough that I am buying into all of the hype.



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