I'm hoping that, with school out, December will let me read more books. But, for now, I give you my reads of November.
1. In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Filbrick 4/5 – I read this book for my U.S. History class, and it was really quite interesting. The book tells the story of the sinking of the whaleship Essex by a whale; that story was the real-life inspiration for Moby Dick. It's a fascinating, smooth read, but the accounts of cannibalism were almost more disturbing than I could handle. Read with caution.
2. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss 4.5/5 – This book is crazy amazing – a deep, fascinating plot; gorgeous, lyrical prose; multi-faceted characters; and an interesting magic system. I was completely drawn in by this gritty, thick, fantasy-adventure. It did contain more language than I appreciate, but it's not particularly gratuitous.
3. The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss 2.5/5 – *sigh* I was so looking forward to this second book, but I was greatly disappointed. It was just as well-written as the first, but I read about 3/4 of the book before stopping, disgusted with an utterly pointless and drawn out sex scene. In addition, there was more language in this than the first book, and much of the story just made me feel rather dirty. The goal also didn't seem as clear; the plot felt kind of rambling.
4. Shadowed by Grace by Cara Putnam 4/5 – This is my second time reading this cute WWII story, and I loved it just as much this time. It follows the events of the Monuments Men, protecting art in Italy during the troops' advance. Though the end is a little chaotic, I still enjoyed it.
5. The Frederick Douglass Narrative by Frederick Douglass 4/5 – This was another history book, and it proved to be quite engaging. Written by Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, and considered to be the best slave narrative ever, it's a powerful book – both a raw look at the reality of slavery and an intelligent argument for the abolition thereof. The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars was that it's really short and feels like it's skipping a bunch of details.
6. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz (audiobook) 4/5 – This was a wonderfully well-done Sherlock Holmes novel, written by the author of the Alex Rider series. I felt that Horowitz captured the spirit of the original well, and I was totally caught up in it. The climax, however, was just a little too disturbing for me. Still a great story, but I'm not sure I could experience it again.
What books did you read in November? Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments!
I think I have The Name of The Wind somewhere. I tried reading it, but didn't get into it much. It happens sometimes.
ReplyDeleteFrederick Douglass' books sounds like a good one.
Oh, I've definitely had books like that. That one did start a little slow.
DeleteIt was really quite interesting. And I read it in like a couple hours total.