But You Eat Chicken, Right?

2007 has been a wonderful year as far as books go, and I wanted to share some of the ones that I have read! A few were classic re-reads, but many were books that I read for the first time this year.

• The Kite Runner - Khalid Hosseini - 4 stars. I loved the book, but the ending was a little far-fetched and predictable. Overall, It was a wonderful book and I can’t wait to see the film version.
• Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston - 4 Stars. This book is beautifully written. Skip Oprah’s film version. It did not do the novel justice.
• The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison -3 stars. I love Toni Morrison’s writing style, however this particular book was depressing, and the subject matter was just incredibly hard to read. Not one of my personal favorites.
• The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri - 3 stars. I found the main character in this book really unlikable and lacking depth. That made the book feel tedious for me.
• Desert Flower - Waris Dirie - 5 stars. I feel that this book is monumentally important for every woman to read. The subject matter describing FGM is difficult to read at times, but absolutely necessary for women to be aware.
• Good in Bed - Jennifer Weiner - 4 stars. I love Weiner’s novels. All of her heroine’s are real women who are totally relatable (Think Toni Collette in In Her Shoes.) My favorite, fun “chick-lit” author.
• The Samurai’s Garden - Gail Tsukiyama - 4 stars. This beautifully written novel is an equally beautiful story about love, friendship and honor.
• The Awakening - Kate Chopin - 4 stars. A classic, considered by many to be one of the great, early feminist novels.
• The Bean Trees - Barbara Kingsolver- 3 stars. A decent read, although this one was a bit ho-hum for me. I am looking forward to reading The Poisonwood Bible, however.
• The Unquiet Earth - Denise Giardina - 4 stars. While I wish this Appalachian author didn’t focus so much on stereotypes, I can’t deny that the book was great. It had an intense, page-turning plot with a lot of historical information intertwined. A great read.
• The Adventures of Hucklebery Finn - Mark Twain - 4 stars. A classic. Has anybody not read this book more than once?
• A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khalid Hosseini - 5 stars. One of my favorite books of all time. Full of rich, Afghan history - a beautiful story of friendship, love, betrayal and redemption. An absolute must read.
• 1066: The Year of the Conquest - David Howarth - 4 stars. I read this book as a bit of background for a Chaucer class I was taking, and found it to be a fascinating little book about the Norman conquest of England.
• Little Earthquakes: A Novel - Jennifer Weiner- 4 stars. Another great Weiner escape novel!

If you have read any of these books, please post your comments! I love to hear other people’s opinions about what I have read. Suggestions for other books are welcomed, too!