tumbly. by dotsara!

Progress: 9 down, 11 to go

Which: The Book Thief, Markus Zusak (borrowed from Ky)

I unintentionally dragged my feet with this and managed to never read the back cover, so once I did dig in, I had no idea what was coming—which I’m grateful for.

Final answer: whoa.

Death as a subjective omniscient narrator is, I think, an excellent choice. Death’s own opinions, a little eye-rolling, and a good deal of sympathy combine to give Zusak better emotional access to his readers and he serves that from the first page to the last. (I was a bit of a mess those last hundred pages, but Death and Liesel earned it.)

Progress: 8 down, 12 to go (NYE, 2nd batch)

Which: The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

I read Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay (they’re hard to put down), but I’ll count them as 1 book (nerd). I really, really liked Games and I’m glad I entered the series without an inkling as to the plot.

Mockingjay is a little frustrating (unearned turns of events), but overall it’s a good series. Not too fluffy without forgetting it’s about teenagers, either. That said, the concept is pretty twisted, some of the scenes more graphic than you’d think!

Yes, the covers were a big part of my initial interest; they’re fantastic. Designed by Elizabeth B. Parisi and (husband) Tim O’Brien, they do a couple of things that I love in a book cover: they don’t picture any characters for you and the designs have meaning once you’ve begun to read. Love that.

(I admit it, if [if? when…] those mockingjay pins were actual, I would totally throw one on my bag. Oh shut up. (: )

Edit! Thank you to Tiff for letting me borrow them!

Progress: 7 down, 13 to go

Which: To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

3rd Pulitzer Prize-winner this summer (year). My list of books to re-read periodically grows ever longer…

Progress: 6 down, 14 to go

Which: Tinkers, Paul Harding

Fun fact! This is the 2nd Pulitzer Prize-winner I’ve read this summer (the first: The Road, 2007). It’s a little deceptive at a scant 192 pages: I took more than a week to finish.

It’s rare for the protagonist to have more knowledge than the reader and rarer still, I think, for it to be done really well: Harding fully expects you keep up with when and where the story is. I liked the periodic flashes of understanding as the book rolls ever forward.

(This wasn’t on the second list, but after the book followed me around to every book store I entered for 2 weeks, I bought it and got to reading.)

Progress: 5 down, 15 to go

Which: Prince of Thieves, Chuck Hogan

Owing to the fact that I picked up the book after watching the trailer for The Town, Thieves reads quickly and like a movie to me. I let the casting director do that heavy lifting for me and between you and me: Jeremy-Renner-as-Jem in my head is terrifying. 

I like that the book doesn’t ask for and the fellas don’t want your sympathy. And not in an adolescent, “no, you shut up!” kind of way. There’s just the story and the way Hogan tells it and either it works for you or it doesn’t. It worked for me.

p.s. Boston and I aren’t very good friends, so even though I Google Map’d the major locations for context (nerd!), my brain called up visuals from The Wire for Charlestown scenery. Weird.

Progress: 4 down, 16 to go

Which: The Red Pyramid, Rick Riordan

The size of Pyramid surprised me after the relatively short Percy Jackson installments, but Riordan fills that extra space well enough. Pyramid has a lot more going on, not least because of its two narrators (brother and sister), but it doesn’t drag and he keeps the sibling jokey-bickering to a minimum.

This? would be a fun movie. (Provided they keep Chris Columbus away from it. Yeah, I said it! but look: how can you have multiple Percy movies when you’ve deleted the Titans from the story?! Bah.)

Progress: 3 down, 17 to go

Which: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson

I’ve tried to sum up five times, now and I keep deleting it, so: it’s good! I liked it! (Also: the movie’s good, too.)

Progress: 2 down, 18 to go

Which: Sisters Red, Jackson Pearce

It makes me laugh at myself that it didn’t dawn on me—for awhile—that Sisters Red is a new twist on Little Red Riding Hood. Way to pay attention, me! Sisters moves pretty quickly and only gets a little bit syrupy (c’mon, 2 sisters? it’s going to happen), which is a risk you take with YA; heh. I liked it, though.

Also? Love that cover.

Monday, more reading.

Sunday, reading

Progress: 1 down, 19 to go

Which: Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen

I love Carnivàle and unfortunately that’s what I hoped for when I cracked open Water for Elephants. It’s not bad, really, but…in the world of the Dust Bowl circus: Knauf’s writing, Brother Justin, and that title sequence! are a damn hard act to follow.

The story trundles along at a good clip, to Gruen’s credit; there’s not much time to grow too impatient with anyone¹. I’ll be it translates pretty well to film. Plus, Christoph Waltz as the schizophrenic animal trainer? I am in.

¹ Except maybe with Gruen? Jacob isn’t unsympathetic and, as the wife of an unhinged and abusive husband, neither really is Marlena, but they’re not actively sympathetic either. That was frustrating.