Books: Recently Read

Heart Conditions

Author: 
Sara Lewis
Started: 
January 3, 2010
Finished: 
January 7, 2010

This was a pleasant read. The main character, Alice, was likable enough (although I was occasionally impatient with her over-accommodating ways early in the book), and I enjoyed the plot's journey - I was slightly surprised by Alice's ultimate career shift, and there were a number of nice moments along the way.

Not a huge favorite, but enjoyable.

The Thin Place

Author: 
Kathryn Davis
Started: 
October 18, 2009
Finished: 
November 26, 2009

I picked this up while browsing the fiction shelves at the library. The cover illustration is beautiful and intriguing, and the plot description on the flap drew me in enough to check it out.

What enchanted me was the writing. Davis is poetic and mystical and simultaneously precise and clearly descriptive. The striking language is never gratuitous; Davis keeps the story unfolding.

I think this may be a book I need to own, just so I can reread the beautiful sentences, to revel in them, to learn from them.

Then She Found Me

Author: 
Elinor Lipman
Started: 
August 16, 2009
Finished: 
August 17, 2009

Well, that was one of my fastest reads in a while. It's nice to be able to sit and read for hours at a time. It's a luxury I hope to indulge in more often.

I enjoyed this book more as it went along. At the start, I didn't like Bernice, and I started longing for a book with likable characters. By the end, though, I liked nearly everybody.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Author: 
Haruki Murakami
Started: 
July 1, 2009
Finished: 
July 15, 2009

I picked this up at the library on a whim; I'd been intrigued flipping through it at the bookstore.

It's the first book of Murakami's I've read; I have a copy of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and I'm looking forward to reading that. But I came to this book with no knowledge of Murakami's themes or style.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Author: 
Winifred Watson
Started: 
June 15, 2009
Finished: 
June 29, 2009

I really enjoyed this book.

This was one of my lighter reading picks, something I could pick up for a few minutes before bed.

I really enjoyed Miss Pettygrew's episodes of feeling confident and capable. I also loved the period illustrations.

This was a very successful light reading pick - it was fun, suspenseful, and full of happy surprises.