I heart books

Since I've been soliciting book recommendations for my 2011 reading list, I thought I would share some of the more memorable books I've read in 2010.

I've kept the summaries extremely brief yet I've hopefully provided enough info to whet your appetite to want to read them (or at least the summaries on Amazon)! This was tough for me as I have an unusual talent of summarizing a two hour movie in three hours and writing a book synopsis that's about 20 pages shorter than the book itself. Okay - enough words. Here are my 2010 memorables:

Fiction for pure entertainment value
1) Deception Point (Brown, Dan) – NASA, a Presidential campaign, large meteorite discovered, an even larger cover-up
This was my first Dan Brown (of The Da Vinci Code variety) and the first book both Air Boss and I read together from cover to cover. We loved the book and we discovered how fun it was to read a book together. This book involved a lot of fast action, surprise twists, and lots of rotor and wing details to keep Air Boss enthralled.

2) Tick Tock (Koontz, Dean) – unexpected rag doll at front door, Vietnamese American writer, creepy rag doll comes to life, 3D's: deadline, dawn, and death
If you're not used to reading thrillers, I wouldn't read this alone at night.

3) The Hour I First Believed (Lamb, Wally) – shooting at Columbine High, school nurse barely survives, marriage unravels, lives changed forever, sanity and survival become relative
This book is somewhat borderline with the next category of fiction below.

4) She's Come Undone (Lamb, Wally) – 257 pound Dolores, self-image, divorce, rape, guilt, trials and tribulations, transformation

5) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Larrson, Stieg) – Swedish setting, journalist, tattooed superhacker, familial mystery and corruption, sexual violence
I've read the trilogy (The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest) all within the same month. Lots of action, lots of killings, and lots of deception, violence and sex. Not the most wholesome reading material.

6) The Bluest Eye (Morrison, Toni) – 11 year old black Pecola, poverty, ridicule, rape, hardships, unfairness, sadness and horror, hope
A tough read but a poignant story.

Fiction that left a lasting impression
7) Safely Home (Alcorn, Randy) – American businessman, Chinese Christian, former college roommates, two worlds colliding, underground church, persecution, humility, faith exemplified
This is the first Kindle book I read and had I realized the book is over 400 pages long, I would not have chosen to have read it entirely on my smart phone but it was so good, I couldn't put it down. While this is a work of fiction, this story depicts the martyrdom that exists in China.

8) The Tortilla Curtain (Boyle, T.C.) - California/Mexico border, poverty vs. affluence, fear, clashing cultures, breakdown of community, illegal border crossings, car accident
If I were to start a book club, I would start it with this book. This book is so rich with nuances and starting-off points for long in-depth conversations and reflections. You can read my full book report here.

9) The Kite Runner (Hosseini, Khaled) – Afghanistan, inseparable friends, innocence, privileged, servant, unspeakable event change, guilt, utter sadness, search for redemption, war-torn Kabul, life in America
I have my friend Lisa to thank for her recommendation of both Hosseini's books. Both books have been unforgettably amazing. Months after reading these books, I'm still thinking about them.

10) A Thousand Splendid Suns (Hosseini, Khaled) – Afghani women, political turmoil, power of rejection, power of love, sacrifice, tragedy, horrific abuse, Taliban cruelty, an unforgettable journey
Wow. I was told to have tissues on hand and while I didn't need them (the back of my hand worked just fine), I was left unbelievably moved and affected. I still lay awake at night sometimes thinking about this story.

11) The Poisonwood Bible (Kingsolver, Barbara) - Christian missions in Congo, family with four girls, difficulties, fitting in, changes and challenges
This was a long (thick) book that I brought along with me to read on my trip to Boston. This story does not portray missions work in a good light (you'll need to read it to find out why) but the struggles of fitting in culturally I think are quite real and raw. It's a long book so if you're looking for reading material on an international flight, this may be it!

12) The Girl Who Owned a City (Nelson, O.T.) - deadly virus, no adults alive, orphaned children, struggle, survival, gangs, re-establishment of civilization, government
I found this book in the summer reading section for fourth or fifth graders. It's an easy read, but wow – a powerful story about a young girl and her incredible gumption to survive and thrive.

13) We Need to Talk About Kevin (Shriver, Lionel) – high school killings, angry boy, mother's guilt, letters of reflection, unconditional love
This is not a feel-good book nor a light summer read. It's a tough book to stomach but it evoked a lot of introspection on my role as a mom. The dad is estranged in this book but is "present" throughout the book. Totally do not need to be a mom to be deeply affected by Kevin's story and his family's struggle.

14) Life of Pi (Yann, Martel) - big tiger, 15-yr old boy, 26-foot life boat, water all around, very hungry, struggle for survival and power
I'm so glad I'm not out on a boat in the middle of nowhere and I'm more motivated to eat my veggies and avoid terrible constipation.

Non-Fiction
15) Late, Lost and Unprepared (Cooper-Khan and Dietzel) - Subtitle: "A parent's guide to helping children with executive functioning"
This book was the recommendation of 'Shroom's occupational therapist. Boy did it open my eyes to the world of executive DYSfunctioning. A must read if you (or your kids) really struggle with remembering things, organizing thoughts, following directions, and keeping a general order to life.

16) So Long, Status Quo (Flory, Susy) - Subtitle: "What I've learned from women who've changed the world"
My friend Katie introduced this book to me. I was so amazed by the nine women featured in this book (Eleanor Roosevelt, Queen Elizabeth I, Harriet Tubman to name a few). Flory's writing style is so engaging. I read it again with my friend Laurie as a book study and a challenge to live more like these women.

17) Don't Try This at Home (Friedman and Witherspoon) – The subtitle on this hilarious collection of short stories is “Culinary catastrophes from the world's greatest chefs.”
Yes, even a cooking buffoon like me can laugh at 5 star Michelin chefs.

18) Blink (Gladwell, Malcom) - Subtitle: "The power of thinking without thinking"

19) The Tipping Point (Gladwell, Malcom) - Subtitle: "How little things can make a big difference"

20) Into Thin Air (Krakauer, Jon) - Subtitle: "A personal account of the Mt. Everest disaster"

21) The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (Maxwell, John C.) - Subtitle: “Follow them and people will follow you.”

22) Teacher Man (McCourt, Frank) - a memoir of English teacher Frank McCourt, high school in NY, Irish immigrants, creative writing, funny stories, unconventional teaching

23) The Complete Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook (Piven and Borgenicht) - some example scenarios include jumping from building to building and surviving a plane ride with someone's screaming baby

24) The Glass Castle (Wells, Jeannette) - a memoir: eccentric and nomadic parents, children raising themselves and caring for parents, extreme extreme poverty, unbelievable neglect and odds for making in the world, unbelievable tenacity and accomplishments
You can read my full book report here.

As you may have already guessed, I lost a bit of steam towards the end. Stay tuned for my 2011 book list!