Thirty Five

Well I did it! I read 35 books between April 2010 and April 2011. Looking back, I only read 23 books in 2009-2010 so that's quite a jump. Some short reviews:

Catching Fire

#34 was Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, which was book two of The Hunger Games trilogy. You really have to read the first book to understand and appreciate the second book, as the sequel was a direct continuation of the first book. I thought the first book was much better than this one, probably because the idea of children competing to the death in an annual event put on by the government was such a unfathomable and interesting idea when it was new. Another thing that impacted my opinion of the book when I was reading it was finding out who are going to play the two main characters in the movie version. Jennifer Lawrence, from Winter's Bone, is going to be playing Katniss, and Hunter Parrish, from Weeds, is rumored to be playing Peeta. These two are not what I pictured in my head when I was reading the first book, and so my imagination during the second book was a little fragmented. While I can see Hunter Parish playing Peeta, I personally think Jennifer Lawrence is all wrong as Katniss. The author describes Katniss as having olive skin, dark hair, and gray eyes. Totally not this girl:

I hope they at least dye her hair. Anyway, I give Catching Fire 4/5 stars.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk

#35 was Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris. This book was a collection of short stories that reminded me someone of Aesop's Fables, but that were modern, funny, and a little raunchy. For example, my favorite story ended up being the last one, about a curious owl who befriends a hippo because a rat told him that there was a kind of leech that only made it's home in a hippo's anus. He then befriends a gerbil and the gerbil volunteers to go inside to see what the leechs are up to. The owl comes to realize how strange the friendship may look from the outside when he sees his entire family watching them from the trees in the zoo. I guess the moral of the story is either 1) You may find friends in those you least expect; 2) True friends do anything for each other; or 3) Stay true to yourself despite judgment from others.  Who knows, but the book was pretty funny in some sections. Not as laugh out loud funny as I expected, but still a good read. I would give it 3.8/5 stars.

When I finish my next book, Definitely Dead, by Charlaine Harris the list at the right of the screen is going to be reset, so if anyone is interested in reading the books I've read, take note!

Now for my Top 5 Favorite Books I Read This Year In Hindsight (meaning I might have said "This was my favorite book!" for something I read at the time that no longer has that meaning when I look at the title now):

1. The Book Thief by Mark Zusak
2. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
3. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
4. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
5. The Last Child by John Hart

(Honorable mentions: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins; The Road by Cormac McCarthy)

I would recommend all of these books to friends, family, and strangers off the street!