J'ai Lu, Decembre 2009

It's the last month of the year! I made it. I didn't quite make 4/month, but I put up a noble effort with a grand total of 37 books read for fun this year. It's been great, and I definitely want to keep it up.

I'm trying to decide whether to adjust my strategy at all. For the most part I was just choosing books based on my own interest or on recommendations from friends as I needed them. For this coming year, should I follow these same guidelines, or alter my approach: perhaps trying to read all Pulitzer prize winners, or all Nobel Prize for fiction winners? Maybe I could take suggestions and recommendations from friends and compile a list now? Is anyone interested in reading these reviews or has it been for my enjoyment alone? This is your chance to give feedback! Don't miss it. Speak now or face the possibility of further mind-numbing multi-part ramblings on my favorite topics... your fate is in your own hands at this point.

December was an interesting month for reading, especially considering I didn't finish a book during this month until December 24th. In fact, you can thank the legendary Blizzard of 'ought 9 that I even had the time or the patience to meet this month's quota at all. But each book was an entirely different genre and different experience, so it kept things interesting for this, the twelfth month of my adventure.

The Scarlet Letter (Hawthorne) – Apparently I’m forming a habit of reading classics that I probably should have read by this point in my life but have never gotten around to or have never been required to read. This particular story by Hawthorne was a truly fascinating read with a haunting story that puts forward many intriguing ideas about sin, guilt, and the young American church. While Hawthorne was very likely biased in his negative representations of the church, it certainly gives a fascinating perspective on the hypocrisy and hate that can often be found where love and forgiveness are meant to be practiced. (7)

Eve’s Revenge (Barger) – This is a book we read excerpts from in our Girls Bible Study this past semester. Barger explores some topics surrounding Biblical womanhood and being a woman in a male dominated culture as well as in a society that exploits female sexuality in an often degrading way. Definitely some interesting and encouraging points for any women interested in the topics, especially as a follow up to some of Serven’s talks this semester. (7)

Fargo Rock City (Klosterman) – This is the second book I’ve read by Klosterman (this year, even) and while it had an entirely different tone and feel from Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, I really thoroughly enjoyed it. Essentially, Klosterman is giving his real life perspective on the evolution of rock music from the 70s-90s. This is interesting for people who listen to rock music and for those who don’t. I fall into the latter category for the most part, and so reading his analysis of this music, what it meant to the people who made it and what it meant to the people who loved it, was really a look into a new world for me. I really enjoyed Klosterman’s witty insights as well as his perspective as a fan who was there when the bands of the era—Motley Crue, Van Halen, Guns N Roses—were trying to make it. Klosterman’s regular profanity and blatant sexual references continue, however, so I’ll rate it at least PG-13, but I’ll grade it an (8)

Infidel (Ali) – This is the autobiography of a young Muslim woman who grew up in Africa in the 1970s, and went on to cause an international scandal. Ali was able to escape an arranged marriage and moved to Holland, where she was able to acquire Dutch citizenship. She was later elected as a member of Dutch parliament, and sought to awaken the Western world to the atrocities being committed against Muslim women which she had been witness to throughout her life. This story is a detailed perspective on the life of women inside this religious institution, and Ali’s story truly is remarkable. (8)

In addition to spending a large amount of time reading these last few days, I have watched..several movies. I'm not normally a movie watcher unless I have an extraordinary amount of time to kill, so here are my grades for my winter-break film viewings:

A Muppet Christmas Carol A+
Ice Age 3 A+
Julie & Julia A-
Elf A++
Avatar A-
It's A Wonderful Life A++
The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past D-
Almost Famous A
Star Trek A
Bottle Shock B+
New York, New York D+
Sherlock Holmes A
The Fellowship of the Ring A
The Two Towers A-
Return of the King A


Here's to the nights we felt alive.