The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

If all nonfiction science books read like this one, I can tell you there'd sure be a lot more people reading them -  I am finding I really enjoy this creative non-fiction genre.  This book was fascinating, informative and impactful.   It is shocking how little the world knows about HeLa - the first immortal cells that revolutionized science and medicine, saved millions of lives, and will likely save more....all which came from a black woman named Henrietta Lacks in the 50s.  It's a mix of everything that makes a great story - scandals, human interests, mysteries, fascinating science, and thought-provoking issues like bioethics and racism in the medical industry (questions, I might add that aren't answered even now and you might want to be a little more aware before donating plasma).  I also really appreciated the contrast of the historical and scientific history to the real life repercussions these cells have had on the surviving extremely poor family of Henrietta.  The author spends a lot of time on them (which some people criticize), but I don't think this would be nearly as interesting without them.  I grew to really like Deborah especially, and I mostly felt the author partly used them to paint an interesting picture of how different the world is for them - and most regular people - compared the world of science and how easy for most of us to know jack sh*t about what that community is doing.   Really, really excellent book.

The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages

I finished this trilogy rapidly - I couldn't put them down! It truly is an epic story that continued to grip me and pull me along all the way through to the end. And then it wrapped up in such a way that had me quite amazed at Sanderson's foresight and storytelling capability.  He did a really nice job making me love the characters and I was pleased with how their story-lines turned out, and the direction he took them as well as the world.  It was a great balance of dark and light and everything in between.  I felt like he answered most of really important the questions I had left in the story, and I really, really enjoyed the ride.  Rating 4 stars and 5 stars respectively.

Half Broke Horses

I picked this up because I absolutely loved Jeanette Walls' The Glass Castle.  I love her easy but beautiful writing style and knew I would most likely love her newer book about her grandmother Lily Casey Smith. And I did - it was a joy to read and I fell in love with Lily and her remarkable life.  It was nothing short of amazing and I totally admired her tenacity and indomitable spirit in such trying times and in such desolate areas of the country.  I have to say it was a little heart-wrenching to read about Lily's daughter knowing how she would ultimately turn out (as the mother in The Glass Castle), but I also felt grateful to know a little more about her as well.  Lily's story was inspiring to me, and the book is a really, really great read.

The Help

This book made me soar. It is full of awful and sad things, but more importantly, inspiring and beautiful things. Once I got going, I couldn't put it down. The story Ms. Stockett weaves between the black and white women in the Mississippi of 1964 is phenomenal. I was touched reading about each of their lives, each different and yet similar, each struggling with their own personal issues underneath the heavy strain of a separatist state. I loved the small steps toward enlightenment taken on all sides of the main characters…watching them have those revelatory thoughts and moments that made them (and me) grow. Then watching those small but important thoughts lead to small but important actions was thrilling. I am quite attached to a few of the characters and wish I could read more about them right this minute, even though I just finished it! This book deserves every one of the five stars I gave it.

East of Eden

This book has always looked overwhelming to me. It's not small, not short, and a literary classic (which may or may not mean it's cryptic and difficult to read). After I got through the first couple of overly descriptive chapters, I was hooked. I liked his characters and the way they were portrayed very much. He is able to let you get to know his characters so deeply - both what they are thinking, and how others perceive and deal with them. I think the thing that really got me the most was his exploration of the human character - it was so thoughtful and I think right on. I loved what I perceived to be one of his main themes - the nature of humans to have varying levels of light and dark in them, how that light or darkness may be created and inflamed, or may just exist - and ultimately how man's own free agency weaves through all of that. I really enjoyed his portrayal of what life might look like to people of all varying shades. He was not afraid to explore the darkest of the dark - a sociopathic character in whom the evil seemed to just exist, but also exploring those with mostly light in them - innocent and naive, and not entirely suited to the real world in all of its complexities. The rest of his characters were more in the middle, and easier to like and relate to. It covers a lot of life and a lot of history, and of course I love the 1890s as a time period generally (though of course it ends past the turn of the century). Some of the other themes and topics he discusses in his book seemed really weird or random, but by the end I could see the masterpiece he wove using some of those seemingly random discussions or themes as a later way to bring home the point. I just loved it, and found it worthy. And to any of you thinking you might to read it...timshel...but I think you should.

Pillars of the Earth

I have had this book on my shelf for a while, after my Grandmother told me it was one of her favorites. I decided to pick it up after her passing because it made me feel a little closer to her. I loved it. It is a behemoth book, but it reads faster than it looks like it might. I have never really read anything about the middle ages that didn't seem dim and dark, but this was vibrant and full of life, drama, fantastic characters, and of course, a cathedral. Fascinating historical novel, and a great read.

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

This was a fabulous read - really, really fun. A perfect travel book. It is written from the perspective of an autistic young man, and it was just so amazing to see the world through his eyes. He is amazingly intelligent, and just sees things so differently....and in some ways that I wish I saw things. Loved it.

My Grandfather's Blessings

This is a sweet, beautiful, and touching book. It is full of stories and thoughts by this woman (Dr. Remen) that are very insightful and thought provoking...I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. I dog-eared some of the ones that meant the most, made an impact, but I expect that different ones will be impactful at different times. I kept it by my bedside for months and months and it was a great way to end the day.

The Glass Castle

I loved this book. It made me so much more aware of what I have and what I have been given my whole life. This is an extremely interesting and heartbreaking story of a crazy family (well crazy parents) and the amazing kids who survive it all. It's a testament to the resiliency of children, and I am extremely glad I read it. I recommend it to anyone, if only to put things in perspective. It's told in such a matter-of-fact manner that you can really see it from the point of view of the little girl telling the story (Jeannette Walls), a girl who has grown up to be an amazing woman.

The Sword, Elfstones, and Wishsong of Shannara

I have finally re-read this trilogy after about a 15 year gap - it was my very first foray into the world of fantasy and is what ultimately hooked me for life. I was extremely trepidatious as I did not want my treasured memory of these books from all those years ago to be tarnished by my now adult (and perhaps more skewed?) viewpoint. However, I was not to be disappointed. I just devoured them and read all three in about three weeks. I am elated to report his writing and stories are still as tantalizing and gripping as they were when I read them as a much younger girl. All three of these are amazing, and I shall be reading the rest of the series with breaks in between. My original review of the trilogy on this blog can be found here, so I shall avoid going into that again....but these come highly recommended...even still!

Night

Everyone needs to read this book by Elie Wiesel. I have wanted to for some time, just never bothered to pick it up. It is a short read, which given the subject matter is somewhat merciful, though I truly loved it. It is a compelling true story of a Holocaust and concentration camp survivor, and it is amazing. The copy I have has been re-translated by his wife, which was pretty neat, too. The forward was inspiring as well, talking about his speech when he won the Nobel Peace Prize. So again, everyone should to read this - everyone should know this very clear, very personal account of this human being who survived.

So far this year...The Things They Carried, Heart of Darkness, Devil in the White City, Water for Elephants

This year has so far been a happy, more consistent venture into the many worlds of the written word. For too long I have let things get in the way of reading and I always miss it. It helps when I found and started with a few gems that have inspired, and have caused many sleepless nights as their covers practically grew into my hands....I simply haven't been able to put them down.

The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien
This book was written in such a way as to make the Vietnam war almost palpable. I love how Mr. O'Brien writes - his gift of storytelling is extremely refreshing. The stories were often gripping, sometimes heartbreaking, and yet almost oddly matter-of-fact. His viewpoint on storytelling was also very unique - in that it is more important to get the idea and feeling of the story across than be 100% accurate in every fact and detail. This book made it very easy to relate to the young men that served in that awful war, and how they themselves viewed what they were doing, and where they were. I highly recommend it, and would like to thank Darren for doing so to me.

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
I joined a book club that reads Classics, and this was what I thought the assignment was. I bought it ages ago and just never read it. I liked it, though it wasn't what I thought it would be. I expected something much more....more visceral, I guess. Especially given that it was the basis for Apocalypse Now. But his writing and viewpoints were very interesting. The horrors of the darkness of Africa at that time, and varied meaning and application of the word was what interested me the most. Though I left with mixed feelings about the book, I am glad to have read it.

The Devil In The White City - Erik Larsen
Now this book - this book I loved more than anything I have read in recent months. I cannot stop raving about it. It is written about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair from the perspectives of two very interesting men - the main architect of the fair (David Burnham), and a serial killer that capitalized on the fair (H.H. Holmes). Not only was the story of the Fair and the people involved fascinating, but the amount of historical crossings that occurred over the timeframe and life of the fair was absolutely astounding. Hundreds of amazing little historical tidbits, people, and events crossed the path or were affected by this event. I won't give anything away, so if history interests you even a little bit, this is a book you will love. I would also like to note that his detailing of the killer Holmes was just as interesting, but very mild and handled without any kind of descriptive gore - so don't let that scare you off. Thank you Lindsey for recommending it!

Water for Elephants - Sara GruenThis was a fun, read - very entertaining. Based on the life of circus-folk in Depression-era America, the author wove various true stories and facts together into an absorbing and captivating work of fiction. You come to love the very unique characters, and most especially, the elephant. I loved that elephant, and many of the shenanigans she got up to. I found out in reading the author's note that many of those very shenanigans were pulled off by real elephants, which was as shocking as it was delightful.

Harry Potter 7 - The Deathly Hallows

I read this in a single 8 hour sitting. I couldn't put it down! It is truly the coup de grâce of a wonderful and very enjoyable series. I was immensely satisfied with all resolutions made, and thought she tied all the loose threads into a perfect tapestry. Small waves of melancholy still roll over me when I think that there will no longer be the tickling anticipation of waiting for "the next one"....

The Eight

Oh I can't BELIEVE I forgot to put this in here. I read this before the Harry Potters...and it is AMAZING. Gripping, historical, it's DaVinci Code meets Searching for Bobby Fischer meets Nancy Drew (but way cooler). That may be a really bad description, but this is a fantastic book. It came out in the mid-80s, and it was the precursor to all of the current Knights Templar fuss. Ironically, it sat on my shelf for years, which is a shame that I'm just reading it....I wonder what other treasures I own but haven't read!

Harry Potter 5 - Order of the Phoenix and 6 - The Half Blood Price

I decided I needed to re-read these two books in preparation of the book 7's imminent release - the final installment (in theory) of the Harry Potter series. Five and six are two of the best of the series...a bit darker, but VERY enjoyable. I forgot how fast and intense these are! I couldn't put either of them down and finished them both in about a week. In fact, I put these in front of quite a few things I *should* have been doing. It's been really fun to watch the author improve immensely from the first book to what the current Harry Potter world is now. It is such a clever concept - I love the idea of wizards living among us in hiding. Though......I wish with my whole soul that I wasn't a Muggle.

Old Favorites (ones held close)

As this blog is starting relatively late in my life, I thought I would begin with a list of a few of my favorites up until now - though I read most of them long ago. Methinks you'll sense a theme pretty quick....

The Wheel of Time series - by Robert Jordan
I'm not sure why I love this series so. I have managed to read 9 of it's books about 3 times, though I decided to stop and never do it again until he finished the damned thing. It's a fantastic series full of characters you identify and fall in love with, all in a world that comes to life in your mind. It is quite original, and it is my opinion that since the great J.R.R. Tolkien, it is hard to find a truly original fantasy series. However as mentioned earlier, I recommend NOT reading these until he is done with the series. I started over a decade ago, and he has yet to finish. On top of it all, he decided to go back and write a prequel! Oh how I hate him (and yet love him).


The Shannara Series - by Terry Brooks
This was one of the very first large series I ever read in my youth, and it was the spark that lit a great passion for fantasy epics. Terry Brooks is a fantastic author with amazing talent for the written word, a fantastic imagination, and a gripping storytelling ability. I remember even crying when one of the integral characters died in one of the books...I was that attached. He has received criticism for being too like Tolkien (with Elves, Dwarves, etc.) But I find it to be still quite different, imaginative, and more than entertaining. I have yet to read all of the later Shannara series books he has written, but it is only a matter of time.


Ender's Game (and series) - by Orson Scott Card
Ohhhh Enders game. There are almost no words to describe how much I love this book and all subsequent books in the saga. You can't help but fall in love with Ender and Bean - the children that are not children, and all that goes after. A fantastic book with a twist, and an insight into humanity through a very unique view. I must thank my brother for introducing it to me early on - it is truly a favorite.



The Lord of the Rings - by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Alpha and Omega of fantasy. For some reason I didn't read these until about 5 years ago. For a true fan of fantasy this is almost unforgivable (though I did read The Hobbit). However I deemed it quite necessary to read them before seeing the films, as it would have been a travesty to let Peter Jackson tell me the story instead of Tolkien himself. I was not disappointed - they are breathtaking. He created a world unlike any other, complete with full created languages. I once heard that he and his friend C.S. Lewis wrote their books because they finally wanted something worth reading. Well....it worked. I recommend these books even to the non-fantasy minded (just skip the songs) - there is much worth to be found there, at all levels.



Fairy Tales
What can I say - I'm a sucker for the classic fairy tales. I especially love ones adapted by Marianna Mayer and illustrated by her brother Mercer Mayer (famous artist of children's books). East of the Sun and West of the Moon is one of my all time favorites.