The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst (#25, Reader's Choice)

I am becoming suspect of some of the books Steph recommends to me. After she gave me Prep to read I should have never accepted another recommendation . . . redeem yourself!!!

The Dogs of Babel had a promising premise--a mysterious death, no witnesses save the dog, and the quest of the bereaved husband to uncover the clues to the truth. But the novel fell very short of entertaining me. The second the husband begins recounting the history of his relationship with his wife, the death is no longer mysterious but has suicide written all over it, not subtle at all. There were a few interesting twists, or better put creepy twists--think dogs getting their throats cut open, which were nicely tied up at the end, I like clean endings.

I suppose the book was supposed to be the journey of a widower back to life. I have never lost anyone (picture me knocking on wood) important, or even semi-important in my life, and I guess I can't relate to the husband. His behavior was irrational, ridiculous, and unsafe and everyone but him could see that--even his dog. I guess I went through the book blaming him for his wife's suicide. She had all the signs of depression or some bipolar disorder from almost the minute he met her, and he never did anything.

It was sad. I don't do sad.

The BFG by Roald Dahl, (#24, Reader's Choice)

I wasn't lying when I said I was going to read another children's book. I ventured back down to the "young adult" section of the library in search of a Roald Dahl book I had yet to tear through. All the classics were there, Matilda, The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory--it was hard to resist rereading something that would bring back nostalgic childhood memories. Instead, my eyes fell upon the one book on the shelf by Dahl I hadn't read--The BFG.

Steph and Shawn endured my continually fits of laughter on the beach as I sped through the world of the BFG and Sophie. I think I would group Roald Dahl in a category with J.K. Rowling--how they just come up with completely imaginary worlds and words is beyond me. I am left-handed yet my imagination fails me daily. Not Dahl though, what an amazing, bizarre, sometimes scary, but always exciting world he has created for children.

I like snapping a book shut with a smile on my face. Mission accomplished.

Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins (#27, Contemporary Literature)

Ladies and gents, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas was my inaugural Tom Robbins novel. This is shocking I know. After having read this delightfully quirky and wonderfully written book, I wonder how he escaped my good literature radar. I am always on the prowl for the next best author, the next best book. Someone who shall remain nameless recommended this author to me. This same person, though, did not think that this particular book would be the best book to kick off my adventures into Robbins' literary world.

Yes, this book was a little slow to get into, I admit. It is told entirely in the second person, which is strange at first but then you get used to it. I actually kind of enjoyed it. I found myself identifying with the main character more because of it. But I must say, I have never gotten this much attention for reading a book before. I brought it to work with me and while it sat out on the counter, I had countless people talk to me about it. I had people recommending his other books, people telling me how great he is, people telling me that he really appeals to the ladies, people asking me how the book was--that they hadn't read it yet, people whispering "fierce invalids--that's all you need to know". It was as if I had stumbled upon a secret society, of fans addicted to the work of a man who writes unique things and has quite a following.

Would I recommend Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas? I believe so. I mean, how can you resist reading a story that includes a jade enema, the disappearance of a fat fortune teller, and a runaway born-again reformed jewel thief monkey?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (#23, Reader's Choice)

It wasn't until four J.K. Rowling books had been released that I jumped on the Harry Potter bandwagon. Normally, I avoid books that anyone and everyone read. Being my book snob self I assume that if everyone thinks a book is good there must be a giant flaw. Funny then to find me in a line, 100+ people deep, waiting to purchase my own copy of the seventh and final installment of the series. Turns out I am a Harry Potter fan through and through, and am proud of it.

There are few books I will while away a whole day reading, but I have done it multiple times to see how things turn out for Harry, Ron and Hermione. J.K. Rowling somehow managed to encapsulate all childhood dreams of an imaginary world into her stories: flying, changing into animals, being invisible, time travel--to name a few. Yet, alongside her very magical and imaginative ideas she weaves in real world situations and themes--war, racial purity, the struggle for power and interpersonal relationships. To write a book that appeals to even one person is a feat, but to write a book that can enchant people from all walks of life and all ages is as mysterious as the books she writes.

I have nothing but good things to say about each book. My favorite is still probably The Prisoner of Azkaban, but in my opinion she wound up the story perfectly in The Deathly Hallows. I can guarantee I will be eagerly awaiting the next gem J.K. Rowling has to offer.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (#26, Reader's Choice)

I feel very strange writing this post. Everyone is reading this book. Everywhere I look I see some eager child or adult clutching the final installment of J.K. Rowling's immensely successful series. I too am guilty of the addiction to this wonderfully crafted world of witchcraft and wizardry. While I didn't go get the book at midnight on the 21st when it became available, I did make my way to Borders to wait in a long to purchase it so that i could begin feverishly reading what would eventually make me weep. I use the word weep instead of cry because when you read a seven book series, you become attached to the characters. You become attached to the world within the pages and you don't ever want it to end. The ending of any series is always bittersweet, but Harry Potter even more so. Rowling got me before I even read the first page with her dedication that says, "The dedication of this book is split seven ways:...and to you, if you have stuck with Harry until the very end." Yep, I stuck with Harry to the very end as has everyone else who chanced to go out on a limb and pick up The Sorcerer's Stone.

I won't be very specific about what happens in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I will say that I enjoyed it very much and I thought Rowling did an amazing job tying up loose ends and solving all the mysteries raised by the previous Harry Potter books. I got the answers I came for and the final chapter didn't leave me aching for more. It is rare for a book to deliver complete satisfaction, especially with a series but this one did. I wept for the end of an era that this final book ushers in. I would like to do it all over again and I am completely jealous of the budding young readers who have yet to discover Harry Potter and who will inadvertently pick up Book 1 and find themselves on the literary ride of their life. Cheers.

Three Junes by Julia Glass (#22, Contemporary Literature)

I started Three Junes while I was sitting at work, on a hour break between shifts. I can get some reading done there, but generally it is sporadic and interrupted with people coming in and out, co-workers chatting me up, and the ever alluring smell of food to distract me. But, Three Junes was different. Within the first 10-20 pages I was transported to another place and everything going on around me disappeared (which I am sure Bridie did not appreciate because as I was floating in book world she got super busy).

Since that first day I have been asking myself over and over again, "What is it about this book I like so much?" I can't pinpoint it. I immediately liked the character of the father. A smart, hardworking, family man, who is still striving to learn how to express himself emotionally ( I could take some lessons!!). Then we get to investigate his life more through his three sons, specifically one in the second and third sections.

Julia Glass somehow managed to take the life of a family and weave it into a beautiful story. Their lives were not filled with excess drama, they were not typical, but they were also not off the deep end. The pages were filled with love, animosity, bickering, and relationships between male and female, brother and sister, old and young, human and animal--maybe I liked it so much because of the involvement of animals in the story. The allure of Three Junes will continue to be a mystery to me, maybe that is what makes it so great, nothing earth shattering, just life.

A Death in the Family by James Agee (#21, Classic)

I found A Death in the Family on a list of Pulitzer winners and thought, hey, it won an award, I'll give it a whirl. I didn't love it. It irked me for two reasons, first there was talk of religion, and we all know how much I love religion, and secondly the little boy bothered me. The kid gets picked on to the nth degree and just doesn't get it. It was painful to read as he kept walking right into the traps set by older boys to make him look like a big idiot. He knew they were making fun of him, yet he longed so much to be liked that he continually tried to talk himself into believing they were actually his allies. But the whole time he seems to know they really aren't his friends, but he is okay with that because he enjoys the attention in some distorted way. And then, the icing on the cake, after his dad dies, he uses his knowledge of what happened as coolness leverage. Bragging about your dad's death, not cool. Okay, so he was only 7 years old or something, but still, it IRKED me!

I think the novel captured how a family may react to the death of a loved one. The book as a whole didn't make me think or stand out to me, but there was one passage, or scene, that I don't think I will ever forget. There was nothing extra special about what happened, just the exchange between a husband and wife as he is going on a short trip, but it paints a vivid picture in your head of what I believe to be true love. You feel the love between the two of them. Cheese, I know, but it was nice. And it didn't make me want to vomit in my mouth, so I think it had to have been cleverly written, otherwise I probably just would have made a gagging noise and breezed past. :) Ah, forever the cynic.