8) The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
4 out of 5 -- By the end of the first chapter, my mind found itself comparing this book to The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. The difference is Four Agreements is directive, whereas this book is written like a parable. It was a good read and I would recommend to others, who need to open their hearts to the possibility of opportunities in the world.
9) Dear Girls Above Me: Inspired by True Story by Charles McDowell
4 out of 5 -- This modern story, which tells a story a man who tweets about the two sorority sisters next door and the ditsy things they say to one another, is LOL funny. Sure, as a woman I should be shocked and worried about what this sort of story does for moving forward feminism. But the reality is, there are men and women who are flighty (at best), and while they may be wonderful human beings, they do say dumb things. This book pokes fun, while also cherishing how these same folks can teach us little life lessons about living life.
10) Free Country: A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain by George Mahood
5 out of 5 -- Originally I rated this book a 4 immediately after reading it. It was a nice tale of the goodness of the British people, to help two young men get from one end of England to the other, with not a dime spent between them. Starting in nothing but their boxer shorts, these guys meet quite a few characters, take part in a host of festivals celebrating the small things in life, and somehow find the means to do it on bike (which they also were donated along the way). Upon reflection of the good-nature and feel-good emotions I have in recalling the book, I upped the rating to a 5.
11) Egghead: Or, You Can't Survive on Ideas Alone by Bo Burnham
1 out of 5 -- A book of poems that was a little crass, felt like the author was pulling shit from his ass. From a few I did chuckle, but most inspired no chortle. Mostly I was glad, to write this book was read. 'Cause like that last line, some of that bs didn't rhyme. I could've liked it if there were inspiration to be had, instead it was just wasted time reading the works of this lad.
12) Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris
4 out of 5 -- The story of David's life in Paris. If you've ever heard David Sedaris' voice on NPR, then it's hard to not imagine him personally telling you this story. It's a great narrative of Paris from the perspective of a person who has no interest in being a tourist; nor becoming a fake Parisian. Fun, fun.
13) The Illegal Gardener by Sara Alexi
3 out of 5 -- The protagonist, shortly after a divorce of an overly long, unhappy marriage, leaves England to live in Greece; a fantasy she's had since her early 20s. Her friends think she's mad, her kids think she's mad, and her new Greek neighbors welcome her (in the lightest sense) to the neighborhood. In turn, she takes on an illegal gardener from South-west Asia who teaches her about the depth of the human spirit and truth in friendship. It's a good story, for the genre it belongs to.
14) Constantonpolis by James Shipman
2 out of 5 -- This historical fiction work of the Islamic-Christian fight over Constantinopole/Istanbul is an uneven read of battles, love affairs, egos, and tales of that period. There were moments when I was completely immersed in the storyline, and other where I wished I could turn the pages faster to call it done. Ultimately, it was an un-fulfilling read that I would not recommend.
15) Bossypants by Tina Fey
4 out of 5 -- It's an auto-biography, kinda, of Tina Fey's life through SNL and 30 Rock. It's funny. And if you're not paying attention, might even give you a few life lessons that are a more down to Earth version of Lean In. If you like SNL, female comics, or are just looking for a light read, I recommend it.
16) The Book of Animal Ignorance: Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong by John Mitchinson and John Lloyd
5 out of 5 -- An A-to-Z book about individual stories of the animal kingdom. It tells witty tales about man's first encounter with kangaroos (mouse-colored deer with big feet), to explaining the sexual reproduction habits of many reptiles (fascinating!), to even a brief moment to explain humans. Reading the stories, even with the number of snippets that ended with "and now they are extinct," continuously brought a smile to my face.
17) Packing for MARS: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach
4.5 out of 5 -- This is a book about what it really takes to be an astronaut, what scientists, NASA, Japanese Space Agency, the Soviets, etc are looking for in candidates to be the first people on MARS, and the unglamarous side of being an astronaut. The book is witty, full of fun anecdotes, and had several laugh-out-loud moments as I imagined our space heroes having to really think about some of man-kinds most animalistic-human functions (e.g., poop). Worth a read for people interested in science, but can appreciate it from a journalistic perspective, rather than hard facts. The 0.5 away from 5 stars was mainly because in some parts of the book it felt like she looped back to a prior topic and that pulled me out of the story line.
18) Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
4 out of 5 -- This is a part 2 to The Shining, which I hadn't read, but only have seen the movie years ago. It provided enough of the context, sometimes repetitively, from the prior story that having no previous knowledge of the characters was necessary. It was an interesting concept, uneven in execution, and had a lot of sub-stories within the story that absolutely, 100% pulled me in. The rest, as it reiterated pages from The Shining, or clarified earlier made points, made me yawn and look at the time. Wasn't a favorite but was a good read.
19) A Red Death (Easy Rawlins Mysteries Book 2) by Walter Mosley
2 out of 5 -- I've read a lot of Walter Mosley books and find that his storytelling about Los Angeles (Well, South Central, Watts, and Compton) in the early twentieth century absolutely makes the town come alive. Unfortunately, in this book I didn't find as much of the intrigue and characters themselves coming alive.
20) Dog Shaming by Pascale Lemire
2 out of 5 -- The pictures were cute, but as a "book" it felt more like a marketing piece to get me to go to their website than a unique book purchase.
#) America's UnWritten Consistution by Akhil Reed Amar -- Will not finish0 out of 5 -- Such a disappointment to read this book after really enjoying the first from Professor Amar. The book reads like he hadn't fully organized his thoughts before publishing the book. The primary point is that the Constitution infers that there are certain unenumerated rights by which the American people are entitled, and he attempts to different ways to search for and find those unwritten constitutional principles. I do not recommend.
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