Reading Update

Another reading update! Most of the books I've read since my last reading post.

I feel like I've forgotten most of my comments by the time I write one of these big compilations. Oops.

 

All the light we cannot see, Doerr

Beautifully written. I was captivated for the first part. I knew it would get intense (it's about World War II after all) but the ending was still a bit too depressing for me XD 

 

Gandhi: An Autobiography 

It was more interesting than I was expecting! It didn't really go into the big stuff that he's famous for (the stuff in the movie), which I think was part of what I liked about it. You got to see more of his personal view on things. 

 

 The Soul of an Octopus, Montgomery 

I've read several of her books. I love the way she writes about animals. 

 (Here's Aang being an octopus)

 

The Last Unicorn, Beagle 

I've loved this movie my whole life. Many years ago, I read the first half of it. But I never finished it. I finally fixed that @_@  

The author has very colorful writing.  Very creative descriptions. 

 

Pursuing Giraffe, Dagg 

She's the first person to study wild animals in Africa (I think the second person to ever so a study on wild animals). This is the story of her time in Africa. 

It was awful hearing about how Europeans treated the people of Africa. I knew it was bad, but I always like to hope that things aren't as bad as I fear... The author didn't grow up in Africa, so she could see the full extent of the racism. She thought she was beyond all of that herself. But years later when she was reading the letters she wrote during that time, she was shocked to find out how much that racist attitude invaded her thoughts. 

It's frightening to see how those toxic thoughts can weed their way into your brain.

But it was also great reading about giraffes!

The Power of Now, Tolle 

This was a fascinating book. I definitely recommend it. It explains ways to reset your thinking so you're less stressed and such. Basically, everything is about the moment. Don't dwell on the past or focus on the future. Just focus on what's happening now.  What you're doing now will influence the future.

 

Vanishing Tracks, Hillard 

A book about people who were studying snow leopards in the wild. It shows you a lot about the people who live up in the mountains. 

I met one of the main guys in this book.  

 Battle Magic, Pierce 

 She was my favorite author in middle school. But then for a long time, I didn't care about any of her new books. But here's another one I really enjoyed! It felt so much like the books of hers that I loved. A nostalgic feeling.

 

Leviathan, Westerfeld

I really enjoyed this series. I originally checked it out because I liked another series from this author.  I haven't read/seen too much steam punk, so it was cool to read a steam punk WWII story. As someone who works at a zoo, I always bristle at genetically modified animals. But they book uses them in fascinating ways. 

I was hoping for more from the ending. (Spoilers) I thought it would be fascinating to see how Alec balanced love for a person and love for his country. But instead he just threw his country away. Sigh.I was also disappointed that Darren didn't get to do anything for the finale. The finale actually seemed anticlimactic compared to the rest of the series. But overall, it was a creative and entertaining series.

 

Stars Above, Meyer 

A bunch of short stories from the "Cinder" series. I loved that first book. And reading these short stories was like visiting old friends. It was cool to hear tales from their past. 

 

The Horses in my Life, Roberts 

This guy has done so much to help horses.  It was cool reading tales of the different horses that helped to shape him. 

The Positronic Man, Asimov and Silverberg 

A story about a robot who has some very human tendencies. Through the book, he slowly evolves and becomes more and more human-like. It had some fascinating ideas. And it was cool to see how the world around him changed so much around him. (The movie Bicentennial Man is based off this book. But there is no romance in the book)

 

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay 

At college, we had a homework assignment to go to an author event. And there was one that  this author was doing about this book. I started reading it shortly after the event. But I only finished reading it now @_@  I liked it at first. But the end drove me crazy, with each of the guys ditching out on everyone at some point.

 

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, See 

I actually nearly quite reading this at one point (because the main character's situation was making me too anxious in a way I don't like when reading). But I kept it up a little longer, and immediately after that point, I started to like it again.  I really enjoyed the second half.

The book is a really fascinating look at the people and the art of tea.

 

 Living in a Mindful Universe, Alexander 

Another fascinating book about the health of your body and mind.

 

Dr. Fisher's Life on the Ark, Fisher 

A book by the director of a zoo. It seems inevitable that people who work with animals end up with a lot of crazy tales!

 

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, Green

I love how they were able to sabotage the system XD