Right, back to the recap!
Book 47 - Heat by Bill Buford
Oh how I love food and cooking books! Heat was recommended to me by a fellow food lover (note: not foodie, we just love food!) and it was a great book to read while on vacation - 1. on vacation you're allowed to eat whatever you want so it's okay to act on impulse after reading an entire chapter about cheese; 2. it's a novel-worthy daydream about food and 3. he does a fair amount of travel in the book and who wants to spend their reading hours being jealous? Buford's book tells the story of his journey from journalist to line chef under Mario Batali (who, it turns out, I knew very little of). Buford investigates all manner of dishes, cuisines, and ingredients and writes with such love that you can't help but want to try everything he does, except maybe using up an entire pig.
(336 pages; 4.0 stars)
Book 48 - My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
I've been hearing about Jodi Picoult for awhile now but I've never picked up any of her books. I got My Sister's Keeper on our shiny new Kindle, thinking it would be a good book for the big trip. I once read an Entertainment Weekly review that described Picoult's novels as something like 'based on current events, written in a year, and neatly wrapped up' (my remembering of their review of course, not an actual quote) - and I've got to say that's pretty accurate. This book pulls on your heart strings (ever visibly cried while on a cross-country train? you should try it!), does its best to paint all characters in 4 dimensions but clearly favors one or two, and is pretty neatly wrapped up in the end. All that said, the book does what it does well. I got what I expected and I was extremely drawn in to the story.
(448 pages; 4.0 stars)
Book 49 - One Mississippi by Mark Childress
One of my favorite things about travel is new book stores and how you inevitably run into a book that you never would have found otherwise. One Mississippi is a book like that - I picked it up at a tiny used book/cd store/video rental place in a tiny town in New Zealand on the way to our overnight cruise - I couldn't go on an overnight cruise without a book after all! The book was utterly surprising, mostly in that I had no idea what it was going to be about and expected far less of it than it gave (my fault). One Mississippi was surprising and heartbreaking and definitely worth a read.
(400 pages; 3.75 stars)
Book 50 - Daughter of Fortune by Isabelle Allende
Daughter of Fortune is one of those books that I've had on my shelf for as long as I can remember and yet, I bought a second copy of it while on vacation and only then did I read it. Allende is a magical spanish storyteller, weaving fantastical notions into romantic, adventurous plot lines. It's almost unbelievable that I haven't read any of her books before. I loved Daughter of Fortune - it was everything I hoped for in an epic melodramatic love story. Allende avoids the cliche but keeps the fantastical and weaves a beautiful story with rich, impulsive characters, characters that belong on the frontier of a budding nation and in the adventure of that frontier.
(399 pages; 4.0 stars)
Book 51 - Sleepwalk with Me by Mike Birbiglia
I picked up this book (signed!) when I went to see Birbiglia do stand-up last fall - and while I'll give the book a 3.5, I'd give Mike himself a big fat five point oh stars! He's a great comedian with a style that's unlike the standard stand up comedian - I've been following him for a few years now and I just really want to be his friend. He's self deprecating without being whiney and he has a knack for turning the typical of life into hilarity. The book is a collection of stories that he's told in his acts - with a few additions - so for the most part, I'd heard them before and they were funny. The problem comes because Mike isn't there telling the story to you and so much of his comedy is in his inflection and style that it can be missed in the written form. If you know and love him (like I clearly do) you can add his style back in as you read, which is what I'd recommend. Go see Mike Birbiglia live - then read his book.
(190 pages; 3.5 stars)
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