23 Books: Months 2 and 3
February 11th, 2008The third month has ended in my Readers' Challenge. Since I started, I updated my goal from reading 23 books in three years to instead to Read 23 books in one year. After three months, I have read 9 books. At this rate, I'll still have read my "quota" within 8 months. So long as I don't have another Orchid Thief in my list (see below for details), I may finish even before then.
Here are the four books I read in the second month, December 2007:
- The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Despite the fact that this book was 520 pages, well over my self-imposed page limit, this was my favorite book thus far. The story is a chronologically broken telling of a man's time traveling life and his relationship with his wife. Though his travels were out of his conscious control, he often time traveled back to his wife's childhood and spent time with her there. I particularly appreciated the mythology of time travel in this book: He has accepted that "what has happened, has happened" and that he can't change events. (On one occasion, his attempts to avoid an embarrassing situation are actually the cause of the embarrassing situation.) He also has no control over traveling, and unlike most books or shows, he does not travel with his clothes. The book is a great story of romance conquering all and should appeal to both science fiction fans as well as those who enjoy romance. - Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead was one of my favorite movies, and the script is just as much fun. It's even better in the aspect that you can carefully read and re-read the fast-talking portions of the script that simply zing by in the movie or in a performance. - The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
I really couldn't stand this story. I couldn't figure out why in the world critics enjoy this story. When I have some free time, I'll have to grab Cliff's Notes for The Metamorphosis to see what people enjoy about the story. I think I have a grasp of some of the metaphors in the story, but even these don't redeem the plot. Does anyone have some words of wisdom about this story? - The Children of Men by P.D. James
James' book is a great story of survival and redemption in a society that has given up all hope. In this story, the entire world has become sterile, and no one has given birth for over twenty-five years. James describes what England has become politically and socially after 25 years of optimism followed by hopelessness.
I read this book because I enjoyed the movie, but I quickly found out that this book isn't really related to the movie. It's as if someone read the book and thought, "That gives me a great idea for a movie, but I couldn't use the plot without getting permission from the author." Nonetheless, the movie makes for a great movie and the book makes for a great book.
Here are the two books I read in the third month, January 2008:
- The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
This book was a bit of a disaster. I enjoyed Adaptation, so I thought I would read the book that the movie was based on. What I didn't know was that this book wasn't anything like the movie. The main characters of the movie (played by Nicholas Cage) are not in the book at all. This book is a biography of John Laroche, who was arrested stealing orchids from Florida swampland. Most of the book isn't even a biography, but instead a history of orchids, other plants, and Florida. The book me three long weeks to read. If you're very interested in flowers and people who devote their lives to flowers, then give this book a shot. Otherwise, watch Adaptation and maybe you'll like it. Here's one instance where I can clearly say that the movie was better than the book. - Speed Cleaning 101: Cut Your Cleaning Time in Half! by Laura Dellutri
This is really a how-to book about how to efficiently clean your house. I chose it because I also have a goal to clean up my house and keep it clean. Dellutri has worked in the professional cleaning service for years, and she has gleaned many great ideas. Quick read with many great ideas. Facts like where the worst bacteria homes are in the house (kitchen sponge and refrigerator door) as well as how to clean efficiently (side-to-side strokes, not circular motions).
See more progress on: Read 23 books in three years