Good Reads

So I’ve been trying to figure out how to post a list of books/links to books somewhere on my blog, but I guess I’m technically challenged, because I can’t figure it out. This summer I’ll probably switch over to a wordpress.org blog with my own domain name, so hopefully then I’ll have more options.

For now, I thought I’d share some books I’ve read over the past 2-4 months. (Mostly Dec – Feb. I’ve been needing a new book!)

The Hunger Games Trilogy
by Suzanne Collins

These are the best books I have read in a LONG time! Think Ender’s Game plus The Giver plus Lord of the Flies.
Set in the future, these books take place in what used to be the United States and is now a nation called Panem, which consists of 12 (or 13?) districts. Each year the Capitol holds The Hunger Games, in which 2 young people from each district play a version of “Survivor” – except it’s much more brutal than the TV show we know in 2011. Katniss, the main character, becomes a contestant in The Hunger Games, and while struggling for survival, begins to figure out the true danger of the Capital’s controlling politics. In the second book, Katniss and her friends will again have to face a terrifying survival situation while dealing with rumors about a possible revolution in Panem. The final book leads Katniss to her most difficult job yet: a symbol and leader for the people. Her role is compromised, however, when she finds out her best friend (and kind of boyfriend) has been brainwashed by Capitol leaders. Her personal loyalties are challenged and the entire nation is in chaos. All I can say is : Read them.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series
by Rick Riordan

These were fun reads. Every tween boy (and girl, for that matter) needs to read them! While not as mind-twisting and thought-provoking as The Hunger Games, these books are really creative, entertaining, and informative. The stories are full of mystery, history, action, and suspense – a fun way to learn about Greek gods!

The Namesake
by Jhumpa Lahiri

First of all, I love Jhumpa Lahiri! She’s a Pulitzer Prize winner, by the way! This is a book about an Indian family that makes their life in the US. The main character never quite understands why his Indian father named him after a Russian writer. Caught between two names, two cultures, two languages, and two countries, he struggles to find a comfortable identity.
Great read, especially for a third-culture-kid like me!

Girls of Riyadh
by Rajaa Alsanea

This book was interesting. It told the stories of 4 young Saudi Arabian women, but it was as if the writer was telling them through emails. She had a bunch of subscribers and would send out these stories each week, and people would respond. (I am still not sure if the email think really happened, or was just part of the narrative.) At any rate, the book goes back and forth between the writer’s email messages to her readers and the stories of the women. It was really eye-opening to see how little freedom these women have, and how they are punished and outcast if they do anything to challenge social codes.

Acedia & Me
by Kathleen Norris

Norris is a writer of spiritual non-fiction and poetry, and this was I think the only book of hers I had not read. It was pretty weighty. She tackles the subject of acedia, which is – loosely – sloth, laziness, depression. There’s not a perfect word. I mostly enjoyed reading about the events of her personal life. She talks a lot about her marriage, which was challenged by a husband who was sick during most of their marriage and eventually passed away from cancer. Not my favorite of hers, but a decent read.

Sacred Doorways: A Beginner’s Guide to Icons
by Linette Martin

This book was remarkably good considering it was not written by an Orthodox Christian. Martin did her research and does a good job of presenting a history of icons. This is a great book for anyone wanting to know about iconography and the use of icons in the church.

Now . . . I need suggestions for a new book!