Book reviews terrify me. I'm not sure why. Probably because I just spent hours taking it all in and now you want me to spit out a few sentences summarizing the book. But, last year I sped through fifty books without giving a single review.
Here's my list so far this year. I'd say it's pretty impressive considering the quarter I had. I'm working on quiet a few books over my break and have a good list for the spring including the ones for school.
Please add your suggestions. I have more than enough books on my shelf to read, I'll probably buy plenty more, but I want to know you are reading and get some suggestions.
1. Stones Into School, Greg Mortenson
Written in what feels like a rush and using a bazillion pages to tell the Central Asia Institute’s story in Afghanistan (a story that was hinted at in Three Cups of Tea), this book floored me; the Afghani men who represent the antithesis of the Taliban, the desperate fervor for life. Afghanistan may hold my heart more than any other nation. Afghanistan has the second highest illiteracy rate the in the world and not only one of the highest birth rates (seven births to each women), but the country’s infant and maternal mortality rates are just as high. I could go on forever, at least fifteen pages, as that’s how long my research paper was this quarter. But I suggest, for the hopeful side of the story, you read Stones Into Schools. Mortenson presents a look at the Taliban, the most forgotten people in the most remote corner of the world and how pockets of the US Military are changing their approach. Every page of this book cries out “everything must change.” And I cried through every page.
2. The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien
How many reviews have been written on LOTR? Must I give another? Let me say this much—the trilogy stands as a testament to passion. The amount of time and creative energy that was spent for its purpose are evident through every word of every made up language. The culture of creativity is seen in every character. And the book reminds me, above all, that even if I were to know all that would hinder me along the way, the journey is still worth every step, every tear and every crumb of Lembas.
3. Savage Beauty, The Life of Edna St. Vincent Milay, Nancy Milford
I’m sorry to say that I could not finish this book. In fact, I could barely start it. While Vincent ranks right up there with Zelda and Sylvia in tortured famous females, there are a lot of pages filled with very little depiction of the world outside of Vincent’s own mind. The author herself writes in a such a straightforward manner that I believe it actually contrasts with the manic nature of Vincent too much. As a result, I could not engage with either fully.
* Veiled Threat: The Hidden Power of the Women of Afghanistan, Sally Armstrong
This was a book for school, so it doesn’t actually count for my twenty-five, but it is worth making a note of. Armstrong, a Canadian journalist, follows the story of RAWA through the refugee camps of Pakistan and parts of Afghanistan. Veiled Threat exemplifies the kind of writing I most want to do. She gives a history of the women, the Taliban and the current war and provides the stories of the Women who have endured all of it and have continued to fight for their own futures. This is one of the most captivating books I have read on the subjects of both Afghanistan and women’s right.
4. The War of Art, Steven Pressfield
What can I say? The day I opened this book on the bus, I stayed on the bus for a few extra stops, planted myself in Stumptown and skipped class. The next day I called a counselor. Being an honest person, I will say that I am a drama ridden, justified hypochondriac. I hate this about myself and have often wondered where this comes from? The book has helped me explore some of the roots of these character flaws and see how the directly relate to my creative expression. Pressfield doesn’t leave anything untouched. He address the ways artists try to escape the pull of our art, he draws the picture of a professional and shows you just how much time you need to put in to make your work sustainable, never once sugarcoating his own long journey to success. The Art of War is wise, contemplative and raw. It’s kicks your ass.
Working on Now
5. The Two Towers, J.R.R. Tolkien
6. Snow, Orhan Pamuk
7. On Writing, Stephen King
8. A Poetry Handbook, Mary Oliver
The Spring Reading List9. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
* On the Road, Jack Kerouac (for my Beat Generation Lit. class)
* Naked Lunch, William S. Burroughs (for my Beat Generation Lit. class)
* The Pocket Beat Reader (for my Beat Generation Lit. class)
10. Half the Sky, Nicholas D. Kristof
11. A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition, Ernest Hemingway
Thoughts on the Summer Books
12. Strength in What Remains, Tracy Kidder
13. The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkien
14. The Outliners, Malcolm Gladwell
15. What the Dog Saw, Malcolm Gladwell
16. What is the What, Dave Eggers
15. Zeitoun, Dave Eggers
16. The Kite Runner, Khaled Housseini
17. The Bookseller of Kabul, Åsne Seierstad
18. The Evolution of God, Robert Wright
19. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
20. I really am not at a loss of books here…But I’m leaving room for suggestions. Help!!
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