Long Hardship


"The Long Walk"
by Slavomir Rawicz


My friend, Katy recommended this book to me on New Year's Eve and since I'm never one to turn down a reliable suggestion, I was quite excited to read this book. This book is overwhelming and heartbreaking. The tales Rawicz tells about his time in a Siberian work camp to his escape and travels across Asia to Europe are breathtaking. I can see why Katy recommended this book and I'd recommend it to others too. There is some controversy about this book since many of Rawicz's claims have not been substantiated but even if this isn't 100% true, it is still a stirring tale.

Books read in 2006: 6

Big Business


"Jennifer Government"
by Max Barry

In this satirical book about the near future, American corporations rule the world. Everyone takes his employer's name as his last name and most of the world is owned by the USA. Hack Nike is hired to assassinate kids in order to increase Nike's market share. Jennifer Government's life goal is to rid the world of evil corporations. Fantastic Book! I've been wanting to read this for years and I'm glad that I finally did.

Books read in 2006: 5

Sapphires


One Night With a Prince by Sabrina Jeffries

After all that affluent reading, I decided that I needed a quick trashy read. I always enjoy Sabrina Jeffries books and when I saw this at the library, I quickly picked it up. The book did not disappoint. It was quick. It was trashy. It was highly entertaining.

Books read in 2006: 4

Sapphires


Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

Ruth Reichl's third memoir picks up where "Comfort Me With Apples" leave off. We watch Ruth move from LA with her husband, Michael and son, Nick to New York City where Ruth becomes the New York Times Food Critic. Using a vast array of disguises, Reichl dines her way around the city, visiting restaurants 4 or 5 times before writing them up in the city's biggest paper. Through this time, Reichl shows us what a really good meal is and why it is a really good meal. Reichl's latest book is wonderful and I would highly recommend it.

Books read in 2006: 3

Comfort


Comfort Me With Apples by Ruth Reichl

Ruth Reichl's second memoir picks up where "Tender At The Bone" leave off. We experience her life as she begins to separate from her husband, Doug and takes up with Michael. We understand her pain at ending a good marriage that has just grown apart and we celebrate her new relationship as it takes flight. We experience delicious meals at fantatastic restaurants and horrible meals at not so fantastic restaurants. Ruth Reichl really draws you in. Her unconventional life makes for a great story, one you want to keep reading.

Books read in 2006: 2

First Book of 2006


Shade by Neil Jordan

The first pages of this slow-building novel reveal to us that its narrator, 50-year-old Nina Hardy, has been murdered with a pair of gardening shears by her childhood friend George Truite. What we do not know is why he has committed this crime. The mystery reveals itself as the pages turn. Shade is set in Ireland near Drogheda, at the mouth of the river Boyne. You want to taste and ponder each word as you draw out the reading of this novel.

Books read in 2005

1. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

2. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

3. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

4. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

5. Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding

6. Something Rotten: A Thursday Next Mystery by Jasper Fforde
7. Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett

8. Torture the Artist by Joey Goebel

9. Travels With Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck

10. Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy

11. Wicked by Shannon Drake

12. The Duke's Scandalous Secret by Connie Lane

13. A Visit From Sir Nicholas by Victoria Alexander

14. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

15. Almost a Bride by Jane Feather

16. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

17. The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad

18. It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn

19. Anything Considered: A Nobel by Peter Mayle

20. Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander Mccall Smith

21. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

22. A Good Year by Peter Mayle

23. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

24. Eragon by Christopher Paolini

25. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

26. Eldest by Christopher Paolini

27. At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

28. A Fine Passion by Stephanie Laurens

29. Yarn Harlot : The Secret Life of a Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

30. Swann's Way by Marcel Proust

31. Blink : The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

32. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

33. What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love by Carole Radziwill

34. Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight : An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller

35. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis