What I’m Reading
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Although I keep an updated bookshelf on Shelfari, I spend a lot more time on the blog than I do keeping up with things there. I decided to start keeping a list the books I read here too, using this rating system:
5 stars – I loved it… have probably talked about it incessantly… forced it on my friends… it’s made me think… I have learned something… I would highly recommend it
4 stars – I thought it was a great book… I have likely thought about it a lot… I would recommend it
3 stars – I liked it… might tell someone about it… but it hasn’t made a big impression on me
2 stars – I thought it was just okay… probably wouldn’t recommend it
1 star – Definitely wouldn’t suggest it… I probably really disliked it
If you like to read, you might like this page. And if you have any book suggestions for me, let me know. I’m always looking for new reads!
the work of el lohse
Books Read in 2014:
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi ….. 4 stars
Divergent by Veronica Roth ….. 5 stars
Insurgent by Veronica Roth ….. 4 stars
Allegiant by Veronica Roth ….. 4 stars
The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon ….. 3 stars
Children of the Dust Bowl by Jerry Stanley ….. 5 stars
100 Cupboards by Nathan D. Wilson ….. 3 stars
Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson ….. 4 stars
The Good Braider by Terry Farish ….. 4 stars
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson ….. 5 stars
The Mouse-Proof Kitchen by Saira Shah ….. 2 stars
The House Girl by Tara Conklin ….. 3 stars
Tune in Tokyo by Tim Anderson ….. 4 stars
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach ….. 5 stars
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson ….. 5 stars
The Gravity of Birds by Tracy Guzeman ….. 3 stars
Monster by Walter Dean Myers ….. 4 stars
The Removers by Andrew Meredith ….. 3 stars
The Butterfly Mosque by G. Willow Wilson ….. 4 stars
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn ….. 2 stars
Books Read in 2013:
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt ….. 4 stars
Miss. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs ….. 3 stars
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed ….. 5 stars
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo ….. 3 stars
Sway by Amber McRee Turner ….. 5 stars
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver ….. 5 stars
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka ….. 2 stars
My Mother Was Nuts by Penny Marshall ….. 4 stars
By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder ….. 4 stars
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey ….. 5 stars
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker ….. 3 stars
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis ….. 3 stars
The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch ….. 4 stars
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle ….. 5 stars
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender ….. 2 stars
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl ….. 4 stars
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore ….. 4 stars
I Never Saw Another Butterfly by Hana Volavkova & Vaclav Havel ….. 4 stars
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe ….. 5 stars
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl ….. 4 stars
Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl ….. 4 stars
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist ….. 1 star
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secret of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz ….. 5 stars
Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl ….. 4 stars
Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War II by Joseph Bruchac ….. 3 stars
The Dinner by Herman Koch ….. 3 stars
The Misremembered Man by Christina McKenna ….. 3 stars
Jesus Freak: Feeding, Healing, Raising the Dead by Sara Miles ….. 4 stars
Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger ….. 4 stars
The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee by Tom Angleberger ….. 3 stars
Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai ….. 3 stars
This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind by Ivan Doig ….. 4 stars
The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout ….. 2 stars
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park ….. 5 stars
The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck ….. 5 stars
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra ….. 4 stars
Life After Life by Jill McCorkle ….. 5 stars
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter ….. 5 stars
The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin ….. 5 stars
The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope by Rhonda Riley ….. 5 stars
They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan by Benjamin Ajak, Benson Deng, Alephonsian Deng, & Judy Bernstein ….. 5 stars
90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis ….. 4 stars
The Book of Jonas by Stephen Dau ….. 4 stars
Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson ….. 5 stars
The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy ….. 3 stars
Eragon by Christopher Paolini ….. 4 stars
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini ….. 3 stars
Eldest by Christopher Paolini ….. 4 stars
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini ….. 3 stars
The Last Invisible Boy by Evan Kuhlman ….. 5 stars
The Whip by Karen Kondazian ….. 3 stars
Books Read in 2012:
Lottery by Patricia Wood ….. 4 stars
Bossypants by Tina Fey ….. 3 stars
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot ….. 5 stars
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder ….. 5 stars
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich ….. 4 stars
Lunatics by Dave Barry & Alan Zweibel ….. 2 stars
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder ….. 5 stars
Daughter of Fortune by Isabelle Allende ….. 3 stars
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick ….. 3 stars
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller ….. 5 stars
Little Bee by Chris Cleave ….. 4 stars
Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich ….. 3 stars
Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, the Ultra-runners, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Chris McDougall ….. 4 stars
Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez ….. 5 stars
Seriously…I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres ….. 4 stars
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow ….. 4 stars
11/22/63 by Stephen King ….. 5 stars
The Kindness of Strangers: Penniless Across America by Mike McIntyre ….. 4 stars
A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshlyn Jackson ….. 3 stars
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers ….. 4 stars
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer ….. 3 stars
The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht ….. 4 stars
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan ….. 3 stars
On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder ….. 5 stars
Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster ….. 1 star
A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash ….. 5 stars
You and Me by Padgett Powell ….. 2 stars
Coraline by Neil Gaiman ….. 3 stars
When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka ….. 4 stars
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green ….. 3 stars
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson ….. 4 stars
The Healing by Jonathan Odell ….. 5 stars
Books Read in 2011:
Pearl of China by Anchee Min ….. 3 stars
The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger ….. 2 stars
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck ….. 5 stars
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson ….. 3 stars
The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan ….. 3 stars
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson ….. 4 stars
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith ….. 3 stars
The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson ….. 1 star
Shark Girl by Kelly L. Bingham ….. 3 stars
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper ….. 3 stars
The Grace of Silence by Michele Norris ….. 4 stars
Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick ….. 4 stars
Made for Goodness by Desmond Tutu ….. 5 stars
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling ….. 5 stars
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling ….. 5 stars
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkiban by J.K. Rowling ….. 5 stars
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling ….. 4 stars
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling ….. 4 stars
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling ….. 5 stars
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling ….. 5 stars
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman ….. 3 stars
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson ….. 4 stars
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ….. 4 stars
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins ….. 4 stars
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins ….. 4 stars
Books Read in 2010:
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stout ….. 5 stars
Read My Pins by Madeleine Albright ….. 5 stars
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith …..3 stars
Shadow Baby by Alison McGhee …..3 stars
Eat This, Not That: Supermarket Survival Guide by David Zinczenko …..4 stars
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl …..3 stars
Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia ….. 2 stars
Hush by Jacqueline Woodson ….. 4 stars
Bliss: A Novel by O.Z. Livaneli ….. 4 stars
Savvy by Ingrid Law ….. 5 stars
The Other Side of the Sky by Farah Ahmedi ….. 3 stars
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor ….. 3 stars
Still Alice by Lisa Genova ….. 5 stars
The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle ….. 5 stars
Face of a Stranger: A Novel by Yoji Yamaguchi ….. 2 stars
How to Raise the Perfect Dog by Cesar Millan ….. 5 stars
Puppies for Dummies by Sarah Hodgson ….. 3 stars
Zorro by Isabel Allende ….. 4 stars
The Sound of Us by Sarah Willis ….. 5 stars
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer ….. 5 stars
Impulse by Ellen Hopkins ….. 4 stars
Twilight: The Graphic Novel (Volume 1) by Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim ….. 4 stars
Be the Pack Leader by Cesar Millan ….. 4 stars
Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography by Jean H. Baker ….. 2 stars
Flight: A Novel by Sherman Alexie ….. 4 stars
A Member of the Family by Cesar Millan ….. 4 stars
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann ….. 4 stars
Lift by Kelly Corrigan ….. 5 stars
The Gravedigger by Peter Grandbois ….. 4 stars
Because I Said So: 33 Mothers Write About Children, Sex, Men, Aging, Faith, Race, and Themselves by Camille Peri, Kate Moses ….. 4 stars
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver ….. 3 stars
The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano by Margarita Engle ….. 5 stars
Day After Night by Anita Diamant ….. 3 stars
Marley and Me by John Grogan ….. 4 stars
La’s Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith ….. 3 stars
Beautiful Boy by David Sheff ….. 4 stars
The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich ….. 5 stars
The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs ….. 3 stars
Queen of the Road by Doreen Orion ….. 3 stars
Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder ….. 4 stars
A Girl from Zanzibar by Roger King ….. 4 stars
His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis ….. 3 stars
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman ….. 3 stars
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga ….. 5 stars
Stitches: A Memoir by David Small ….. 5 stars
Pig Boy’s Wicked Bird by Doug Crandell ….. 2 stars
Big Russ & Me by Tim Russert ….. 4 stars
Bound by Donna Jo Napoli ….. 3 stars
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows ….. 5 stars
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli ….. 4 stars
Across a Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande ….. 4 stars
The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell ….. 4 stars
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick ….. 5 stars
The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar ….. 4 stars
The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty ….. 5 stars
Ida B. by Katherine Hannigan ….. 4 stars
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger ….. Sam’s review 5 stars; my review 3 stars for the story and 5 stars for getting Sam to want to read! Woot!
Beneath the Lion’s Gaze by Maaza Mengiste ….. 5 stars
One Ordinary Day 
Hey,I’m pretty sure you’ve read more than three books. :) I was actually looking to see if you read The Lovely Bones and what you thought of it.
~ingrid
Ingrid ~ If you want to check out my bookshelf from the past few years, you have to go to Shelfari and see. This list will be for this year. It’s a work-in-progress.
Yes, I did read The Lovely Bones, and there’s an image in my head, still ,from that book that I’d love to get rid of, but can’t. She’s a very good writer to make that happen, but I’ve avoided her other books because of it. Make sense? I’ll look forward to what you think about it.
This is a great idea! I love to read and I’m always looking for suggestions of something new! I’ll definitely be stopping back to see what you’ve liked!
And I agree about Lovely Bones. There’s things that you’ll never forget about that book. I’ve read her others too. Almost Moon has some pretty vivid images as well, and Lucky, her biography, is heartbreaking at times.
Oh, I enjoyed Olive Kitteridge too! Wonderful book.
Isn’t Savvy the book that you said acted like me?!If you could, do you think you could send me a copy of it?
I always love to know what you are reading. I’ve been wanting to tell you that it is a perfect addition to your blog.
And Evie, if you are reading this, you will love Savvy. Shayna read it in a day, she couldn’t put it down. I know she also really liked When You Reach Me and Every Little Bird that Sings.
wow, i am so jealous that you’ve been able to read all these books already in 2010!
Just stumbled across your blog and am glad I did! I am also a booksnob (hubby got a Kindle and I am in LOVE!) and am working on being greener as well.
I saw above that you read The Lovely Bones – but are avoiding her other books – probably a good idea if that one was too much. I read both her other books, Lucky made me sad and Almost Moon was a difficult/crazy adventure/read. I had to read some “happy” books after that one for awhile.
I’m not sure what Shelfari is, but maybe I’ll check it out!
I MUST tell you about one of the best books i have ever ever ever ever EVER read! (Well besides the Bible) Its called Freckles by Gene Stratton Porter. The second one to that book is called Girl of the Limberlost. They both were written early in the 1900’s. Please look them up and let me know what you think of them. They are very clean wholesome books and i would recommend them to anyone and everyone. They are great stories and please give them a chance!
Hi there! I’m from Brazil and I participate in a Reading Club, and our current book is Olive Kitteridge! I came across your blog and just loved it! Specially because I love cooking and reading! And for me the book got 5 stars as well! I’m going to take a further look at your list of books, as I have a commitment with myself of reading more books in the current year than I did in the last one. Just loved your blog :D
Ah by the way, have you ever read The Poisonwood Bible? By Barbara Kingsolver? One of the best I’ve ever read! I really recommend it. It is just gorgeous!
hi,aunt shell!
Hi, O! Happy New Year!
xoxo
Amazing list! Where do you find the time to read so much? You are inspiring!
Thank you, Aubrey! I LOVE to read and usually have two books going somewhere. I think you just make time to do what you’re passionate about, you know? Thanks for commenting and visiting my blog.
~ Michelle
Reading Ben and Me for school. It’s about Ben Franklin and his furry friend. Read it before, so it’s all review. Have you or Sam ever read it? You guys’ might enjoy it. :) xoxo
Thanks, Evie. I’ll look for it at the library. Did you get to read Savvy yet? There’s a companion book out for it now too.
xoxo ~ Aunt Shell
I just finished Secret Daughter written by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. I quite enjoyed it.
I just found your blog today and it is lovely…I will be dropping by when I can spend more time.
Still have yet to read Savvy…. They dont have it in school library and I never get to go to the public one!!! Life is rough.
Great list, The Literary and Potatoe Peel Society is one of my all time faves. Have you read The Shack? Now that’s a book that will make you think!
I’m a book snob, too! Thanks for the recommendations. If you haven’t already read The Art of Racing in the Rain, that was my favorite summer read. And I’m not even a dog person :).
Others on my Forever Love list: The Giver, Al Capone Does My Shirts, The Bronze Bow. Yes, these happen to be youth books, but they’re so well written!
Enjoyed visiting your blog…i’ll be back!
Hi, Karryn. Thanks for the book recommendations! I love hearing what other people are reading.
~ Michelle
Heyyyy, did you know there is a sequel to the Savvy book??? Its called scumble =o)
I have all of the Little House on the Prairie books except for one. I began reading them when I was 13 years old. They are such a rich testament to family and pioneer life. Love it.
I plan to use your pictures but will give credit. I loooooooovvvvve food photos. Cool idea about the thin mint “cookies.”
GGirl – You plan to use my picture for what exactly? I don’t give permission for my photos to be on all sites, so I’d appreciate more information and a request, please. Thank you.
~ Michelle
Found you via pinterest – I’m looking forward to trying your Rotisserie Chicken (in a crockpot), since we eat a lot of chicken!
I find it super helpful that you rate what you’re reading – I have such a hard time doing that! My current read is “Dearie”, a biography about Julia Child. I think I liked “My Life In France” better, but “Dearie” is interesting and very in-depth – it even goes into her childhood in Pasadena, CA.
Wendy – I just got Dearie for Christmas, but have been reading my library loans first. I’ll have to put My Life in France on my list too. Thanks!
~ Michelle
Thanks for ‘introducing me to: Jesus Freak: Feeding, Healing, Raising the Dead by Sara Miles. Love, love, love