my books. my life.

Title: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
Author: Jan-Philipp Sendker
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
ISBN: 9781590514634
Pages: 336
Year: 2012 (originally published in Germany in 2002)
Publisher: Other Press
Source: Review Copy from Publisher via Netgalley
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

Julia’s father, a successful attorney, disappeared four years ago. His path can be tracked from New York City to Asia and then it grows cold. When Julia finds a letter he wrote to a girl named Mi Mi in his hometown in Burma, Julia jumps on a plane to investigate. There she meets U Ba, who tells her the love story of Tin Win and Mi Mi.

Neither Tin Win nor Mi Mi is a complete person to the outside world. Tin Win cannot see and Mi Mi cannot walk. But together they can do anything.

My Thoughts:

I was drawn in immediately. When U Ba calls out to Julia, he grabbed my attention as well. I had to know the rest of the story.

The translation is lovely. I actually had to double-check that it was not originally written in English because the language is just beautiful. But this book isn’t just beautiful words. The love story at its center and the tangential stories within are equally stunning. There are elements that are almost fairytale-like and it is easy to get lost in Tin Win and Mi Mi’s world.

I am keeping my thoughts rather short and annoyingly vague today because I really think you need to experience this book for yourself. I hope a few of you manage not to let this one slip by.

Buy It Now: IndieBound

Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns)
Author: Mindy Kaling
Narrators: Mindy Kaling
Genre: Memoir; Humor
Pages: 240
Audio: 4.6 hours
Year: 2011
Publisher: Random House Audio
Source: Audible
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary/Thoughts:

Mindy Kaling, best known in her role as writer and actor on The Office, offers a refreshing perspective on life. In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, Kaling talks about her life, her family, and her career, as well as sharing her thoughts on random matters like the funniest moments in comedy and the list of things her character Kelly Kapoor would do that she would not.

The thing I liked the most was how real Kaling seems. She doesn’t hide behind any type of Hollywood glamour. She worked hard to get where she is and doesn’t seem to have lost any of herself along the way. I kind of just want to hang out with her (and I also want to hang out with Amy Poehler even more than I did before Kaling described how awesome she is).

This book will naturally be compared to Tina Fey’s Bossypants, but I think Kaling holds her own even in that comparison. This book is entertaining, smart, and funny. I only wish it were twice as long.

Audiobook Thoughts:

Mindy Kaling narrates this herself. That’s really all I need to say. Fabulous audio production.

Others’ Thoughts: Anna Reads; Book-A-Rama; The 3R’s Blog; Reeder Reads

Buy It Now: IndieBound

Title: The Poisonwood Bible
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Narrators: Dean Robertson (not to be confused with Robertson Dean which may be why I picked it up…)
Genre: Fiction; Family Saga
Pages: 560
Audio: 15.3 hours
Year: 1999
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Source: Library
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

In 1959, Nathan Pierce uproots his family (his wife –  Orleanna – and his four daughters – Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth Mae) from Bethlehem, Georgia and moves them to a small village in the Belgian Congo where he will continue his evangelical ministry. The family arrives just in time for major political upheaval they don’t really understand. Told from the perspective of the five females in the family, The Poisonwood Bible is a tale of the family’s time in the Congo and how it forever changed each of their lives.

My Thoughts:

I’ve heard many wonderful things about The Poisonwood Bible. And throughout the first half of the novel, I found myself agreeing with them. Unfortunately, the second half of the novel happened.

This really could be two distinct books. In the first half, time moves slowly, and the family struggles together to adjust to life in the Congo. It is interesting to see it differently through each character and put the pieces together to see how the family as a whole is doing. I really did enjoy this part of the book very much. However, in the second half, time moves quickly and the family is less of a family. All of a sudden Rachel is 50 and I wasn’t really sure how that happened. I think it is the difference in how quickly time moves that is the most jarring but the whole book really becomes something different. It is less about the characters and more about the politics. There is an event that happens that can be seen as the impetus for the change in the story’s direction but I just never adjusted.

Kingsolver is clearly a talented writer who is not afraid to tackle some controversial issues, and I look forward to reading her again. I am glad that I finally got to this one, which has been sitting on my shelf for a long time (never mind that I ended up listening to the audio). I always find books set in the Congo to be fascinating because it has such a volatile political background. Perhaps if I’d known to expect the change in the novel, I would have enjoyed it more.

Audiobook Thoughts:

First point: Dean Robertson is a woman. She is not Robertson Dean. But she did a good job narrating this book. I thought the choice to use one audio narrator for all four narrators of the story was odd at first and was a bit confusing. But once I got to know the characters a bit, it worked. Her matter-of-fact narration allows the listener to interpret the book for herself.

Others’ Thoughts: Erin Reads

Buy It Now: IndieBound

Title: Out of Breath
Author: Blair Richmond
Genre: Young Adult; Paranormal
ISBN: 9780979647574
Pages: 274
Year: 2011
Publisher: Ashland Creek Press
Source: Review Copy from Publisher
Rating: 3.5/5

Summary:

Kat, a runner who is literally on the run, returns to her hometown of Lithia, Oregon with nothing except the clothes on her back. She befriends a woman and her fiance who give her a job at their running store and a place to live. She soon finds herself attracted to Roman, a mysterious actor while also attracting the attention of Alex, who warns her to stay away from Roman. Kat has found a place she thinks she can finally call home, tragedy strikes.

My Thoughts:

Running. Vegans. Vampires. You can see why I picked this one up, right?

It is hard not to compare this book to Twilight. New girl moves to a small town in the Pacific Northwest where she is attracted to two boys who hate each other. And there are vampires. But Out of Breath has a bit more depth. By presenting vampirism and veganism side by side, the book poses a philosophical question for all of us: do we take the lives of lesser creatures to strengthen ourselves?

While at times a bit preachy – there is a scene where Kat argues for her vegan diet with Roman that was a bit over the top (especially when she then reaches for her wine which I’m sure is not vegan) – there is still an entertaining story going on. And I really enjoyed the running culture that provided the basis for much of the character interaction (although it made me long for my pre-pregnancy running days).

If you’re looking for something a bit different in your next vampire book, Out of Breath might have the unique twist you want. Just keep in mind that it is the first in, yet another, series.

Buy It Now: IndieBound

Happy Sunday everyone. I think I am finally settled into the new year and I can just give you a regular old Sunday Salon today.

My big news this week is that I found out I am having a boy. Also, I already think he’s adorable and funny. If only we could come up with a name for him (boys’ names are hard). This whole pregnancy is kind of flying by and makes me think we should probably start thinking about things like “where are we going to live?”

In my book life, I’m back to reading pretty slowly, making my way through The Art of Hearing Heartbeats and listening to Packing for Mars (finally).

This week I reviewed The World We Found, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and told you which authors I desperately want another book from.

And now I need to get ready for some kids’ birthday parties today. Isn’t it a bit early for this to be starting already?

Title: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Author: Jonathan Safran Foer
Genre: Literary Fiction
ISBN: 0618329706
Pages: 368
Year: 2005
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: Personal Collection
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

9-year-old Oskar Schell lost his dad on 9/11. One day, he finds a key in his father’s closet in an envelope marked “Black.” He decides to go on a mission and speak to every person named Black in New York City to solve the mystery in the hopes of learning something about his dad.

My Thoughts:

I am kicking myself for waiting this long to read Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. I am a big fan of Jonathan Safran Foer (Eating Animals literally changed my life) and this book only solidifies it.

Precocious and socially-awkward, Oskar is immediately lovable. He’s one of those characters you just want to hug. He is so sad without his dad and he can’t seem to find a way to move on with his life. Until he finds this key and suddenly he has A Plan. Along the way he meets all kinds of people, befriending many. In the end, he is different, though maybe not in the way he imagined.

The book jumps between Oskar’s story and the story of his grandparents, who fled Dresden during WWII and found each other again in New York. This is where Foer takes liberties and plays with different writing techniques. It is ambitious, but works. Yet even during these wonderfully-written passages, I was drawn back to Oskar and longed for his story.

The story happens because of September 11th but it is not a book about September 11th. It is a story of survival, loss, love, and life. I highly recommend it to those of you who, like me, have let it linger on your shelves.

Others’ Thoughts: S. Krishna’s Books; Erin Reads; Take Me Away;

Buy It Now: IndieBound

It’s been awhile since I participated in Top Ten Tuesday, but I am a little in love with this week’s topic. There are the authors (not quite ten…) whose next novel I am very much anticipating. Which authors are you waiting on pins and needles for?

JK Rowling

Marisha Pessl

Justin Kramon

Eleanor Brown

Diane Setterfield

Jonathan Safran Foer

Trenton Lee Stewart

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by the fabulous The Broke and the Bookish.

Title: The World We Found
Author: Thrity Umrigar
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
ISBN: 0061938343
Pages: 320
Year: 2012
Publisher: Harper
Source: Review Copy from Publisher
Rating: 4/5

Summary:

Laleh, Kavita, Armaiti and Nishta were inseperable in college, where they were political activists striving for socialism. Over the years they have drifted apart. Armaiti to America, Laleh and Kavita to their comfortable lives in Mumbai, and Nishta to her life of poverty with her socialist-turned-devoutly-Muslim husband. When Armaiti discovers a life-threatening brain tumor, she calls on her three old friends to visit her in America.

My Thoughts:

I thought this book would be about the friends’ reunion in America, but it was actually about the women preparing for it. While it was a different book than I expected, I liked what I found.

The World We Found gives us a glimpse at modern Mumbai – the stark difference between the rich and the poor and the religious intolerance that still exists. Through Nishta, we see the life of a devout Muslim’s wife, forced to wear a burka and trapped in her own home. Through Laleh and Armaiti, the lives of the wealthy on two different continents. And through Kavita, the life of someone who never quite fit in.

At its heart, The World We Found is a story of friendship.  Although this book was more about character development than it was about plot, I found myself frantically turning the last 30 pages not knowing what was going to happen. It is very readable and very worth reading.

Buy It Now: IndieBound

I know everyone loves the end of year lists, but I personally like this post the best. I like looking back and seeing what my reading year looked like. So maybe this post is mostly for me, but I hope a few of you enjoy it as well. You can skip to the bottom if you just want to see my goals for 2012.

Some Numbers

Books Read: 93 (up from 76 last year)

100 books wasn’t really my goal, but when I saw it in reach, it unofficially became one. However, the pregnancy threw my reading for a loop and my numbers fell drastically the last three months of 2011 (it’s a sad day when reading makes you nauseous). All in all, I am happy with 93 and it is still my best year ever.

Print: 60
Audio: 33

Pages Read: 20,264
Average Pages per Book: 337.7
Average Pages Read per Day: 55.5
Longest Book: Habibi (672 pages)
Shortest Book: Our Town by Thornton Wilder (114 pages)

Audio Hours: 354.9 (almost 15 days!)
Average Length of Audiobook: 10.2 hours
Average Time Spent Listening to Audiobooks per Day: 55 minutes
Longest Audio: The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukerjee (20.8 hours)
Shortest Audio: Earth, the Audiobook by Jon Stewart (3.6 hours)

Fiction: 79
Nonfiction: 14

Rereads: 12

Female Authors: 67
Male Authors: 30 (2 books had both a male and female author)
New (to me) Authors: 57
Most Read Author: Jasper Fforde (6)

Target Age

Adult: 58
Young Adult: 33
Middle Grade: 2

Genre

Contemporary Fiction: 29
Paranormal: 14
Dystopian: 10
Other Fantasy: 9
Classics: 5
Memoirs: 4
Science: 4
Verse: 4
Gothic: 4
Short Story Collection: 3
Biography: 3
Other Nonfiction: 3
Graphic Novel: 2

Library books: 38
Review Copies: 23
Books from my existing collection: 22
Purchased in 2011: 10

Average Rating: 4.06 out of 5

Published in:
2011: 41
2010: 18
2009: 5
2008: 6
2007: 1
2006: 4
2005: 1
2004: 1
2003: 1
2002: 2
2001: 1
2000: 1
1900s: 11
1800s: 1

2011 Goals – How’d I do?

1. Read more during the week. I do most of my reading on the weekend but there is no reason that I can’t read for 30 minutes or an hour every day. [I did alright at this one in early 2011. Not so great the second half.]
2. Keep up with Goodreads. I’m going to just start from this point on and really try to use it. [Done!]
3. Read more of my own books. I read a lot of library books this year. I’d like to balance this out a little. [Fail. Fewer library book but more review copies.]
4. Along those lines, limit myself to two books on hold at once at the library. I hate when all 10 of the books I have on hold come in on the same day. [I did pretty good with this one.]
5. Use audio mostly for nonfiction and rereads. I enjoy these audiobooks the most and I really want to focus a little more on nonfiction and rereads in general. [All of my rereads were audio and I read a lot more nonfiction.]

As you know, music is my other favorite type of media to consume. And because year-end lists are fun, here are my favorite albums of 2011 (with little to no commentary).

Note: I often give you samples of music but with the abundance of streaming sites these days and my own lack of energy, I’m going to let you discover it on your own.

The Top 5 (aka the albums that were often kept on repeat for  weeks)

The King is Dead – The Decemberists

El Camino – The Black Keys

Young the Giant – Young the Giant

What Did You Expect from The Vaccines – The Vaccines

Circuital – My Morning Jacket

The Rest 

In the Mountain in the Cloud – Portugal the Man

People and Things – Jack’s Mannequin

Helplessness Blues – Fleet Foxes

Virtue – Emmy the Great

21 – Adele (I know it’s overplayed by it’s a seriously good album)

A Creature I Don’t Know – Laura Marling

Young Love – Mat Kearney

Bon Iver – Bon Iver (it’s no For Emma but still pretty darn good)

The People’s Key – Bright Eyes

Most Anticipated Album of 2012:

Human Again – Ingrid Michaelson

What was your favorite album of 2011? And what are you looking forward to in 2012?