The Book Thief

Well this is the first book of 2012 that got me misty-eyed.  If I were to over simplify it, this is a book about love.  First love, familial love, community love, agape love. The narrator of the novel is Death, but he/she tells a lovely story.  Set during the beginning of WWII, we follow a young foster child and the years she lived with one particular family on a moderately poor street in an unassuming German neighborhood.  At the beginning of the book she is illiterate, but has one book in her possession.  As she starts to learn how to read she is insatiable in her quest for more books. This desire leads to many poignant relationships in her young life.  I am hesitant to give too much of the story away because there are several sub-plots that are tied together quite well in the end.  If I discuss one sub-plot, I will feel compelled to discuss the entire plot and give some key information away.  Instead, I will leave it up to the reader to grab a copy of the book and let the story envelope you.  It's haunting, but very memorable.

The Art of Non-Conformity

This was a quick read that I finished in about 4 days (yes, another one that's not on my 2012 list...I keep taking these little unforeseen detours).  It has some pretty interesting ideas.  The single most interesting idea I read in the book was a one year self-directed, alternative graduate school experience outline. The book, if you couldn't guess, is about going against the grain and doing what you want to do instead of what society dictates you should be doing.  There are definitely some useful ideas in here to kickstart some creative thinking if you are trying to stop running around that never ending hamster wheel.  If you already know that a desk job and the rat race is not your ideal life, pick this book up for more ideas about how you can move forward and away from that lifestyle.

To Kill a Mockingbird

"As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it---whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash." (pg. 295)

I first read this book in high school as an assignment. I also vaguely remember seeing the movie at some point.  I decided it was time to revisit it because all I could remember was the trial and unjust verdict, but not much else.  Now that I have fully experienced this book as an adult, I can honestly say it is one of my favorites.  I think as a high school student I was overly focused on the trial.  Now reading it as an adult with more life experience, I can relate to and better understand the story as a whole and the numerous themes that are addressed.  I can better absorb the small nuances of growing up in a Southern town in the 1930s and the broader goal of the story.  In my mind, I always thought the trial was the whole book.  I thought starting from page one it was all about the trial.  However, the trial is not even mentioned until almost halfway through the book.  This is more a story about basic human kindness than anything else.  Atticus Finch is now one of my all-time favorite fiction characters.  Sometimes I re-visit a book from high school and think "why the heck is this considered a classic???".  With this book, there is no doubt in my mind that this book most certainly belongs in the "classic" category.

Blankets

So this book is not on my 2012 list, but I saw a beautifully bound book entitled Habibi and had to stop myself from impulse-buying it. I would not normally place myself in a category of "avid graphic novel reader" (I've only read Persepolis), but if a story is good I will read it, no matter the form.  So instead of buying Habibi, I went home and did some research on the author.  I saw that Blankets was an earlier work by him and it was available at the library. I thought I should probably give him a try before spending $35.  The illustrations are beautiful and emotive. The story has moments of joy, pain, sorrow, laughter, and wonder.  It's an autobiographical account of the author's childhood and it is full of difficult situations that kids/teens face. Divorce, strict parents, first loves, sibling rivalry, bullies, spiritual crises, existentialism, family dynamics, child abuse, and more.  The story is easy to follow and has many insightful observations.  A warning though....if you are not a religious person, this book may not be for you. Many of the author's observations and conversations in the book are in relation to Jesus and Christianity. I know the topic of religion is not for everyone so that's why I mention it. There is also a small amount of adult content/nudity if you're wary of that. I fully enjoyed the book and will definitely be reading Habibi in the near future.

Madame Tussaud

Michelle Moran, the author, is a favorite of mine and has yet to disappoint me.  This is one of the books recommended to me based on my previous ratings/reviews of the her work. A few years ago I read Nefertiti, and I was so absorbed by the story that now I read just about anything she writes.  I like the fact that she picks female historical figures who have either political strength or a great deal of personal inner strength.  I have to admit I've never been to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Having read this book, though, I will be making a trip soon.  The story focuses on her life during the bloody French Revolution and the political games she reluctantly had to play.  As a side note, when I was halfway through this book I watched Sofia Coppola's movie Marie Antoinette so I could have a bit of a refresher on the names, places, and fashions of that time (Cliff Notes!). Anyway, Madame Tussaud really had a fascinating life and I had a good time reading about it.  At the end of her novels, Moran always does a great job of letting the reader know what is historical fact and what is artistic license.  I have to say, though, she does not use too much artistic license because the periods she chooses to write about are rife with so much drama, there's really no need to embellish much.  So I would say go for it if this time period interests you.