I am really loving the Kindle that Jose gave me for Christmas. In three months, I’ve read 5 books — four on the Kindle and 1 that I had bought before Christmas. Five books! That’s not a lot by some standards — I know some very voracious readers — but for me? That’s a lot!
The House of God, by Samuel Shem. This was Liz’s book club selection for January. She’s a PA and wanted to force all of us NASA geeks into her world for a month. This was written back in the 70s and is pseudo-biographical about the author’s first year of residency at a major hospital. While some parts come across a bit dated, it was quite scary for me to realize that a lot of it is still the same. I asked my friend Matt, who is currently in HIS first year of residency here in Houston, about a few specific items in the book. “Does that really happen? Do you really call patients that?” He looked slightly uncomfortable, then smiled and shrugged and said “…yes.”
The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin. I saw this book mentioned on many of the blogs I read and it always got raves. I personally found it rather mediocre. She attacks her happiness project with the gusto of an army marching into battle complete with charts, lists, a huge bibliography and enough pithy sayings to last a lifetime. Damn the torpedoes, thou shalt be happy. I found myself nodding along with her husband at the end of the year when he said “I think this happiness project is all about you trying to get more control over your life.” It felt too clinical, too structured, and just too serious.
The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. This was Alicia’s book club selection for February and I’m pretty sure it made every single person cry at some point. The narrator is a dog, which sounds bizarre but with only a few exceptions, it works well for the story. I definitely recommend it.
One Day, by David Nicholls. This was ok. The story follows a relationship over a span of almost 20 years by looking at the same day each year. The premise intrigued me, it was an easy read, and I wanted to see where it went. But when I finished I realized that I’d found the first 2/3 of the book much more interesting than the last part. After the two main characters finally got together romantically, the story lost a lot of steam.
The Irresistible Henry House, by Lisa Grunwald. This was my book club selection for March. I haven’t finished it yet but I’m close, and since book club is tomorrow that means I better finish tonight!
I can’t remember if I already said this when you mentioned the Happiness book earlier, but I couldn’t even finish that book It’s the first book that I have on my Kindle that I have walked away from and don’t regret it.
For a happiness book I highly recommend the Geography of Bliss. A fascinating look at what makes people happy around the world.
Nice Farragut reference!
We read Racing in the Rain none of us like it. Interesting that your book club did like it. We’ve had a hard time finding good books to read. One of our best picks was the combo of Beautiful Boy and Tweak which are Father and Son stories about the son’s addiction to meth. Amazing stories and pretty easy reads. I love my kindle too!