My New Year’s Resolutions for the past two years have included reading goals. I am happy to announce that I have surpassed the goal of reading at least two books each month!
I have been coveting the book Ten Years in the Tub by Nick Hornby for some time now. It’s a collection of his monthly column articles, “Stuff I’ve Been Reading” that ran for a decade in “The Believer.” I’ll admit that I’ve only read the first two columns but I am already hooked. He is irreverent, funny, literary and insightful.
I am going to adopt his reporting method and share my reading adventures on a monthly basis.
Without further ado, here’s November 2014.
Books Bought November 2014
| Title | Author |
|---|---|
| The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet | Robb Wolf |
| Beyond Bacon: Paleo Recipes that Respect the Whole Hog | Matthew McCarry and Stacy Toth |
| Easy Paleo Gelatin Treats | Caitlin Weeks |
| Make Ahead Paleo Recipes | Sarah Swanson |
| The Grifters | Jim Thompson |
| The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion | Fannie Flagg |
| The Heist | Daniel Silva |
| Ten Years in the Tub | Nick Hornby |
| Noro Magazine, Fall Winter 2014 | Magazine |
| Debbie Bliss Magazine, Fall Winter 2014 | Magazine |
| Vogue Knitting 2014 Crochet | Magazine |
The abundance in Paleo material was due to Amazon’s Kindle special of Paleo-oriented eBooks for $0.99 and above – well, even one was free! I could not resist!
One of my book clubs is reading The Heist. I’m not liking it so far, but I keep telling myself that book clubs help me read material other than what I would choose on my own. It will be interesting to listen to the others’ reviews.
Here is my November Reading Report
| Title | Author | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| You Should Have Known | Jean Hanff Korelitz | Okay |
| The Warmth of Other Suns | Isabel Wilkerson | Thumbs Down (did not finish) |
| Twenties Girl | Sophie Kinsella | Thumbs Down (did not finish) |
| The Grifters | Jim Thompson | Really Liked |
| The Last Runaway | Tracy Chevalier | Really Liked |
| The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion | Fannie Flagg | Not enthralled, still reading |
| The Heist | Daniel Silva | Still Reading |
| Ten Years in the Tub | Nick Hornby | Loving it so far |
| Pros & Cons | Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg | Hated it |
| Beyond Bacon | Matthew McCarry | YUM! Will be a good reference. |
| Easy Paleo Gelatin Treats | Caitlin Weeks | Uninspiring |
I really enjoyed The Last Runaway and The Grifters this month. The Last Runaway is about a Quaker Woman who lives in a community on The Underground Railroad route. It’s a fascinating read on slavery, Quakers, relationships, history (and quilting) and was written by the author of Girl with a Pearl Earring (on my To Read list) Tracy Chevalier.
The Grifters, written in the 1970’s, is about a man who lived primarily by conning people, but it is also about how he had a normal life in order to hide the illegal one. Since it was written over 3 decades ago, it also provides a glimpse into the culture and customs of that era (in which I grew up!). This one was made into a movie (for which Anjelica Houston was nominated for an Oscar). Some members of my book club want to read this during a busy month, so they can watch the movie instead. I think it would be better to read the book first and then all watch the movie together!
